12 Members Absent from Extraordinary IOC Session

(ATR) Members facing controversies at home and abroad highlight a list of IOC members "excused" from the current IOC Extraordinary Session in Lausanne.

A total of 12 members absences at the session have been noted by the IOC. A full list of those not at the session are as follows:

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah - Kuwait

HH Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani - Qatar

Sergey Bubka – Ukraine

Philip Craven – United Kingdom

Frank Fredericks – Namibia

Daniel Gyurta – Hungary

Gerhard Heilberg – Norway

HRH Crown Prince Frederik – Denmark

HRH the Princess Royal – United Kingdom

Pat Hickey – Ireland

Nat Indrapana - Thailand

Kun Hee Lee – South Korea

Sheikh Ahmad, Fredericks, and Hickey have all faced controversies over the last year regarding roles in international sport. Ahmad was named by media reports as a co-conspirator in an ongoing United States Department of Justice Case against former FIFA auditor Richard Lai. Ahmad had stepped down from the FIFA council amid the allegations, but has "vigorously" denied his involvement.

Fredericks became embroiled in scandal earlier this year over payments received from ex-IAAF chief Lamine Diack ahead of the 2016 Olympics vote. The revelations came from a French investigation into Diack. Fredericks is the subject of an IOC Ethics Commission inquiry, and resigned himself from chairing the 2024 Evaluation Commission.

Hickey is awaiting trial in Brazil for charges stemming from an alleged ticket touting scheme ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympics. After his arrest in Rio, Hickey self-suspended himself from all Olympic family positions. It is unlikely that Hickey will return to Brazil for the trial, but has vowed to clear his name.

Two members Sheikh Al-Thani and Kun Hee Lee have missed multiple sessions in a row. Al-Thani has not attended an IOC session since being elected in 2013. He is currently facing a diplomatic row at home with multiple Gulf States leading a blockade against Qatar.

Health issues have plagued Lee since a 2014 cardiac episode. Since then Lee has stepped away from his role of chairman of TOP Sponsor Samsung. His son Jay Lee is facing trial in South Korea over involvement in an influence peddling scandal that brought down previous President Geun Hye Park.

In addition to the 12 members excused from the session, an additional five French and American members are excluded from voting on the dual allocation. That leaves a total of 78 members voting for proposals at the end of the session.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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