This week, the Association of Portuguese-speaking Olympic Committees (ACOLOP) sent an official communication to the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of Guinea-Bissau, Dr Maria da Conceição Évora, in consultation with the Guinea-Bissau Olympic Committee, expressing its deep concern about the current electoral situation of the Guinea-Bissau Olympic Committee (COGB).
In her letter, the President of ACOLOP reaffirms her recognition of the prestige and historic role played by the COGB as a founding member of the Association, emphasising its importance in promoting the values of Olympism both in Portugal and in the Portuguese-speaking world.
ACOLOP maintains that the current electoral process must take place in an environment of constructive dialogue, mutual understanding and institutional respect, in order to guarantee a fair, transparent and harmonious election, in accordance with the principles enshrined in the Olympic Charter.
Reinforcing the principle of the autonomy of the National Olympic Committees, ACOLOP makes itself entirely available to collaborate and, if so requested by the parties involved, to act as a facilitator of an institutional mediation, with the aim of contributing to a swift and peaceful solution.