(H. B. 2804) (No. 245-2010) (Approved December 30, 2010) AN ACT To add paragraph 8 to subsection (a) of Section 19 of Act No. 8 of January 8, 2004, as amended, known as the Sports and Recreation Department Organic Act, to provide for the creation of the Puerto Rico Olympic Medal Register; include all athletes that have earned medals in events sponsored by the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee; authorize the Secretary of Sports and Recreation to issue certifications and credentials to the members of the Register and their assignees; and for other related purposes. STATEMENT OF MOTIVES By practicing sports, athletes develop trust, discipline, spirit of competition, moral integrity, observance of game rules, ability to perform under pressure, selfesteem, and loyalty. It is a universal activity that has challenged human beings both mentally and physically in many ways since the beginning of civilization. Regardless of the discipline, sports are an integral part of humanity. The Olympic Games have been held since 1896 and are the pinnacle of international sports events inspired by those of Ancient Greece. Other regional competitions have been developed throughout time as a result of the excitement for the Olympic sports that people in many countries have shown. Different countries send their best athletes to compete and make their best effort proudly wearing their national colors both in the Olympic Games and in other regional international competitions. When their efforts bear fruit, athletes are rewarded with a gold, silver or bronze medal according to their performance.
When such competitions conclude, participating countries wage the success of their delegations by the number of medals won. Although Puerto Rico has not yet achieved political sovereignty, whether a as state of the United States or as an Independent or Associate Republic, its sovereignty in sports has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee and other international sports bodies. The Island participated in an international sports event for the first time in the 1930 Central American Games, held in Havana, Republic of Cuba. According to sports historian Carlos Uriarte, such participation arose from an invitation of the United States Ambassador in Cuba. We had our first appearance without even having an Olympic Committee or a Sports and Recreation Department. However, the fervor caused by the three medals won in that event moved the Legislative Assembly to enact a law for the creation of an Olympic Committee and the sports venues we have on the Island [translation supplied]. This author remembered that Puerto Rico s first medal in sports was won by the Military Rifle Team in the Sport Shooting, and the other two were won by Manuel Luciano and Eugenio Guerra in the pole vault and the 200-meters event, respectively. All three earned silver medals [translation supplied]. (Noel Pineiro Planas, Celebran la soberanía deportiva, El Nuevo Día, March 16, 2010, page 89.) On April 7, 1933, Joint Resolution No. 8 provided for the creation of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee, the appropriation of funds for the Olympic Fund of Puerto Rico, and the holding of the Puerto Rican Olympic Games to serve as a preliminary qualifying tournament and initial step towards selecting our best athletes for the next Central American Games. (Laws of Puerto Rico, 1933, pages 635-637.)
In 1948, we took a small delegation of track and field, boxing, and shooting athletes to London. Juan Evangelista-Venegas won our first Olympic medal, a bronze in boxing in the Bantamweight class. Also, pole vaulters José Celso Barbosa and José (Fofó) Vicente finished among the best twelve pole vaulters in the world. (Dr. Fernando L. Iturrino-Tossas, Puerto Rico en el deporte olímpico, El Vocero, December 24, 1992, page 75. According to a renowned Puerto Rican athlete, we owe such participation to the fact that no other international organization has proven to be more pragmatic than the International Olympic Committee (IOC); particularly in matters related to recognizing and derecognizing Olympic committees. The IOC has continued its pragmatism and (regardless of its present status) Puerto Rico is still today a member independent of the United States. Likewise, entities that are undoubtedly colonies because they are non-incorporated territories, such as the Virgin Islands, Guan and even American Samoa, which is not even a territory but a possession of the U.S.A., have been recently admitted as members of the IOC. Currently, there are five national Olympic committees within the United States jurisdiction, to wit: United States, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa [translation supplied]. (Juan R. Torruella, Puerto Rico y su futuro olímpico, El NuevoDía, September 2, 1993, pages 80, 137.) Puerto Rico s participation in the Olympic Games continued to increase. On March 12, 1955, under its own flag, it participated in the Pan American Games. Furthermore, Puerto Rico became the host city for the first time by being the seat of the 10 th Central American and Caribbean Games in June 11, 1966. Puerto Rican athletes have been participating in international sports events for eight decades, winning gold, silver, and bronze medals, earning the appreciation of their people, and deserving the inclusion of their names and achievements in the historic records of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee and
the Sports and Recreation Department. For such reason, this Act provides for the creation of the Puerto Rico Olympic Medal Register. In addition, it is only fair that those athletes who have won medals for their achievements in events sponsored by the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee, or their assignees if the medal holder has died, be able to obtain a certification and the corresponding credentials stating that they are members of the Puerto Rico Olympic Medal Register. In accordance with Section 2 of Act No. 8 of January 8, 2004, as amended, it is the public policy of the Government of Puerto Rico to support the athletes who proudly represent our Country, and their trainers, within the context of Olympic autonomy, so that they transform natural talent and ability into great sports feats, and to contribute to the maximum development of Olympic sports in the citizenry. Furthermore, Section 21 of Act No. 8, supra, states that the Sports and Recreation Department shall recognize the years, experience, and achievements of high performance athletes as part of the work experience required to occupy employment positions in areas of recreation or sports. For similar purposes Act No. 91 of March 10, 1999, as amended, provided for the creation of the Permanent Register of Outstanding Puerto Rican Athletes. Thus, this Act is hereby approved to further and ratify the aforementioned purposes and to pay homage to those athletes who have won Olympic medals. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF PUERTO RICO: Section 1.- Paragraph 8 is hereby added to subsection (a) of Section 19 of Act No. 8 of January 8, 2004, as amended, to read as follows: Section 19.- Olympic Committee Autonomy; Coordination of Functions.- The Department recognizes the Olympic Committee s and the national sports federations autonomy to direct Olympic sports and to govern themselves by their
own regulations and determinations, exempted from the State s intervention in matters of Olympic and federative jurisdiction, without hindering the Department s power to oversee the funds or donations granted by the same. a) Responsibilities of the Department in coordination with the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee: 1. 8. The Department and the Olympic Committee shall create the Puerto Rico Olympic Medal Register, which shall include the names of all athletes who have won medals at sports events sponsored by the Olympic Committee of Puerto Rico, stating the kind of medal, the sports event, and the date on which it was awarded. The Secretary is hereby empowered to issue a certification stating the status of the recipient as a member of the Register, as well as the credentials to such effect. Such certification may be issued in favor of any of the assignees of a deceased member of the Register. Furthermore, the Secretary may, notwithstanding, create a category within the Register that incorporates all those Puerto Rican athletes who have won Olympic medals, although not as members of a Puerto Rico team. The information contained in the Medal Register created herein shall be available electronically in the webpage of the Department. b) General Provisions Section 2.- The Secretary of the Sports and Recreation Department, in consultation with the President of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee, shall design and create the Olympic Medal Register, as well as the certification and credentials provided in this Act, within one hundred and eighty (180) days as of the approval of this Act.
Section 3.- Any person requesting certifications and credentials shall obtain them free of charge. However, the Secretary of the Sports and Recreation Department may charge a reasonable fee for additional copies of such certifications and credentials. Section 4.- The information contained in the Olympic Medal Register may be accessed online. Section 5.- This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
CERTIFICATION I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 245-2010 (H. B. 2804) of the 4 th Session of the 16 th Legislature of Puerto Rico: AN ACT to add paragraph 8 to subsection (a) of Section 19 of Act No. 8 of January 8, 2004, as amended, known as the Sports and Recreation Department Organic Act, to provide for the creation of the Puerto Rico Olympic Medal Register; include all athletes that have earned medals in events sponsored by the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee; authorize the Secretary of Sports and Recreation to issue certifications and credentials to the members of the Register and their assignees; and for other related purposes. has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct. In San Juan, Puerto Rico, on this 6 th day of June, 2013. Juan Luis Martínez-Martínez Acting Director