Ortega and Murillo appoint son as Nicaragua's presidential delegate for sports

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo have appointed one of their sons, Maurice Facundo Ortega Murillo, as the presidential delegate for the promotion and development of sports. The decision was formalized through a presidential agreement, though the role will not come with a salary.

This appointment places another Ortega-Murillo family member in a significant public role. Maurice Facundo, 40, and his older brother Daniel Edmundo, 46, were previously sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in April. The sanctions targeted them, along with other individuals and seven mining companies, for their alleged involvement in the extraction and commercialization of gold in the Central American nation.

Prior to this sports-related appointment, Maurice Facundo Ortega Murillo maintained a relatively low public profile. However, he has had interactions with prominent figures in the international sports world. In January, he welcomed FIFA President Gianni Infantino to Managua. Last August, he hosted Major League Baseball legend Dusty Baker, who managed Nicaragua's team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

His father, Daniel Ortega, has stated that Maurice Facundo's first name is in memory of Maurice Bishop, the former Prime Minister of Grenada who was assassinated in 1983. Maurice Facundo studied Social Communication at the Jesuit Central American University (UCA) and Film and Television at Universidad Veritas in Costa Rica. He also directs Canal 13 alongside his sister, Camila Ortega Murillo.