The Tribunal of Appeals and Arbitration for Sport (TAAD) reversed the sanction that the Puerto Rican Swimming Federation (FPN) imposed on former assistant treasurer Vanessa Morales Rosa, concluding that the entity acted without due process of law and with an erroneous interpretation of a previous sentence.

The August 8, 2025 ruling is tied to the review of TAAD case 2023-003, decided on October 16, 2024.

Judge Joseph Lo Presti Torres recommended sanctioning Morales Rosa for alleged abuse of power and conflict of interest in the process against former federation president Fernando Delgado Sellas, sanctioned for altering the times of two swimmers.

The August 8 resolution establishes that the complaint that gave rise to the sanctions against Morales Rosa and Delgado Sellas was addressed only to the then president of the federation.

It also states that, since there is no complaint against the trainer, she was not notified, “and, therefore, the Federation has made an erroneous interpretation of what is established and ordered by the sentence in case 2023-003”.

“For all of the foregoing reasons, this Court revokes the determination of the FPN to impose sanctions on the appellant without due process of law, in which they made an erroneous interpretation of the previous judgment of this Court,” concludes the TAAD in its most recent decision signed by Judges Marcos R. Aponte Reyes, Pilar Pérez Rojas and Gerardo Chaves Reyes.

Case 2023-003, in which the Caparra Swimming Team was the plaintiff, focused on the alleged alteration of swimmers’ times to register them in competitions in the United States with non-existent marks and manipulated records between yards and meters.

The document states that Delgado Sellas submitted incomplete emails and partial evidence, revealing a pattern of falsification that also reached other athletes under his tutelage.

The Disciplinary Commission, while recognizing irregularities in the presentation of evidence, concluded that there was no manipulation of marks.

Subsequently, the FPN Executive Committee - in what the same document describes as an abuse of power and a conflict of interest, since it was alleged that Morales Rosa participated in both instances, something she denies - decided not to sanction the then president, despite the violation of federation and World Aquatics regulations that expressly prohibit the alteration of results.

The resolution indicates that Morales Rosa’s alleged participation in the voting and review of a case in which she was involved was considered a violation of ethical, moral and legal principles.

The document argues that their removal was justified “for compromising the fairness and legality” of the process, and recommended measures to restore confidence in the Board and ensure fairness.

“The complaint was not against me, it was against Fernando. The Disciplinary Commission evaluated the case and determined that it was dismissed. That decision was appealed before the Executive Committee, which reviewed the documents and also concluded that it was not admissible,” explained Morales Rosa, who at that time presided over the Swimming Technical Commission.

The delegate of the Llaneros de Toa Baja club explained that she went to the FPN Disciplinary Committee at its request to detail the procedure related to the athletes’ times, and clarified that she did not participate in the second hearing because she was not summoned. He pointed out that the process continued until the ruling in case 2023-003.

Morales Rosa pointed out that Judge Lo Presti Torres’ decision was issued in October 2024, shortly before the FPN and Copur elections, in which Fernando Delgado Sellas was a candidate.

“In the sentence I was told that I made and unmade. That I broke all the codes of ethics that existed and still exist without there being a complaint against me,” he reiterated.

As a result of the sentence in case 2023-003, the FPN suspended Morales Rosa for two years, disqualifying her from being a delegate of any team. During this period, she could not aspire to any administrative position or position, be a member of permanent or disciplinary commissions, technical committee or national or youth national team coach. This suspension is dated March 18, 2025.

“Those punishments against Vanessa Morales are no longer in effect,” confirmed current FPN President Andres Solivan.

Delgado Sellas, on the other hand, continues to be suspended for four election terms (16 years), during which time he may not serve as a delegate of any team or hold administrative positions. In addition, his honorary designation as former president of the FPN was revoked. This case is still active.

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This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.