Mariana Pajón’s brother denied Mayor Ibagué for false advertising: “We were not contacted before”
A message issued from the social networks of the mayor’s office of Ibagué, in which they announced “with great fanfare” the presence of multiple Olympic medalist Mariana Pajón in the finals of the national BMX championship, which will take place between November 1 and 3, with the support of the National Cycling Federation, forced his manager Miguel Pajon to comment on this matter. And to deny that, as reported by the local administration, Antioquia is competing in a competition.
“We continue to bring great news to our city (…) Guess who will be in our city? Mariana Pajon. The glory of this sport in the music capital, so take part in this great event. “Ibagué, the home of sport in Colombia,” said mayor Johana Aranda with a smiling face in the clip, in which she was accompanied by photos and videos of the races of the 32-year-old athlete who paved the way for this discipline in his homeland.
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The excitement of young and old in the City of Music with the winner of gold medals at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 fairs, and silver at Tokyo 2020, started to rise as the announcement became known. The joy was short-lived, however, as the athlete’s family took it upon themselves to refute the local leader, leaving the entire campaign unfulfilled, both on social media and in traditional media affiliated with her government.
“We were surprised to find the news of the presence of Mariana Pajón in Ibagué in November. I want to clarify that THIS IS NOT TRUE, we were not contacted before, Mariana was not consulted and her presence in this city is not possible due to the commitments already made,” the young man expressed on his profile X, in which he asked the local authorities to clarify the information, to avoid misunderstandings that could damage the cyclist’s reputation.
In a subsequent message, Miguel Pajón did confirm that he had been contacted by the director of the Municipal Institute for Sports and Recreation (Imdri), Sebastián Perdomo, but he insisted on his request. “We accept your apologies and ask you to clarify this information and not create false expectations.. We are celebrating that Ibagué will receive this national BMX ticket for his great track, but we will not be able to attend on this occasion. Thank you,” said the three-time Olympic medalist’s manager.
After Pajón’s strong message, the Sports Institute came to correct what they originally announced, although in a way they put the responsibility on the series “logistical and operational meetings with the Válida Nacional organizing committee and the Colombian Cycling Federation”. In addition to citing statements given to them by Miguel Pajón on the matter, in which the sports infrastructure stood out, they reiterated that they would not participate.
It should be noted that according to official reports, the event will be attended by more than 900 athletes from different leagues in the country, who will be in action on one of the best tracks in Colombia. “We have been in constant communication with your team and are reviewing your 2025 agendawith the aim of allowing Mariana to participate in future competitions in our city,” Perdomo, Imdri’s manager, said after the outburst.
As expected, all the graphic and audiovisual pieces were deleted from the social networks of the office of Mayor Ibagué, in an episode that left the ruler in a bad light: the heir of the previous administration under the command of Andrés Fabián Hurtado, the same one who was under the scrutiny of control agencies.