COE Medical Closure: Sports Ministry Response

The government entity offered new medical services for high-performance athletes

He Vice Ministry of Sportscommanded by Roberto Ibanezspoke out in the face of the sudden closure of the medical and technical departments of the COE (Olympic Committee of Ecuador). This after the COE denounced this Tuesday, January 6, through its social networks, the lack of financial allocations that correspond to November and December 2025 from the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture.

This lack of economic flow caused the sports institution to take the drastic measure of close its medical and technical departmentswhich were at the service of the athletes participating in the different competitions of the olympic circuit and represent Ecuador.

The response of the Vice Ministry of Sports

In view of the serious impact that the COE’s decision could have on high-performance sports in the country, the Vice Ministry of Sports, headed by Roberto Ibanezalso offered through a statement the necessary medical services for the good development of athletes.

Within this, there is talk of a strategic alliance with the Quito Sports Medical Centerwhich will be in charge of providing services of: General Medicine, Dentistry, Clinical Laboratory, Sports Medicine, Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Traumatology and Orthopedics, and Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation. Also mentioned was the due process that different athletes must follow together with their provincial federations to request these services.

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Finally, the State portfolio was outraged at the serious problem in which the COE. The board of directors of the Tricolor Olympic Committee could not be registered by the Vice Ministry, since the latter considers that there is “normative non-compliance” within the current leadership of the Olympic institution, led by Jorge Delgado Panchana.

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Aiko Tanaka

Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.

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