SANTIAGO, Chile, October 22, 2023 – The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, had the opportunity to congratulate the Dominican Republic Women’s team for their qualification to the Paris 2024 Olympics during a meeting with athletes competing in the 19th Pan American Games in Santiago 2023.
President Bach had a conversation in Santiago, Chile with Dominican team “Las Reinas del Caribe” Niverka Marte, with whom he made a commitment following his visit to the Caribbean Island in March.
“President Bach is a wonderful person and an exceptional sports leader who has been known for reaching out to us athletes” said Niverka. “He gave me a personal pin when he visited us in the Dominican Republic, a very important moment for me as an athlete, as a token for good luck and made an agreement with me that I would return it to him personally in Paris to motivate me and my team to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics”.
After Las Reinas del Caribe won their ticket to the Olympics at the FIVB qualifying tournament last September, Niverka contacted President Bach to inform him that she would be able to return the pin as they had agreed.
“The bond we have established with Mr. Bach is surreal”, Niverka expressed. “I wrote to him to inform him of our qualification and that I would be in Paris to fulfill our pact. He congratulated me and the entire team in a beautiful letter and to my surprise, I was going to have the opportunity to meet with him at the Pan American Games”.
“I thanked him in person! But he told there was no need for me to return the pin, congratulating Las Reinas del Caribe enthusiastically for their direct qualification to the Olympic Games”.
The Dominican team, ranked 8th in the world, earned their direct spot in Paris 2024 in the FIVB qualifying tournament last September in Ningbo, China, after a hard-fought five-set victory over the Netherlands (25-20, 20-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-12).
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