Presidential runoff forces rescheduling of major sports, cultural events in Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s electoral code forbids mass public events during elections. The close race in last Sunday’s presidential vote means that several sporting and cultural events will have to be rescheduled to allow for an April 6 runoff election.

No major public events will be allowed on April 5 and 6.

Two events, the International Arts Festival (FIA 2014) and the final match of FIFA’s Women’s U- 17 World Cup will be rescheduled. The World Cup’s final match was to take place on Saturday, April 5, but Costa Rican Football Federation President Eduardo Li said he had asked the World Federation (FIFA) to move the game to Friday, April 4.

The runoff also forced the rescheduling of six Costa Rican men’s league matches, which will be played from April 7-9.

Other sporting events that could be postponed include motocross, quadcross, track and field, and an international open-water swimming competition in Punta Leona , on the central Pacific coast.

Ricardo Prada Arroyo, director of the Open Sea Punta Leona 2014, said the TSE should allow the event to take place, as the competition is in open sea, not on land, and takes place early in the morning. Plus, Punta Leona is a private club, Prada told The Tico Times.

The Supreme Elections Tribunal will have the final say on which events must be changed.

The law could cause quite a headache for organizers of the International Arts Festival, however, as several shows and performances are scheduled for the April 6 weekend.

FIA director Anselmo Navarro said organizers would meet with TSE officials this week to request permission to hold theater programs and arts and crafts events at La Sabana Park, west of the capital.

But major events scheduled at La Sabana, San José’s Plaza de la Democracia and La Soledad Church likely will have to be rescheduled.