ANOC Resolutions Support Sheikh Ahmad

(ATR) The world’s National Olympic Committees unanimously approved a resolution Nov. 3 ratifying "the support for the ANOC President" Sheikh Ahmad despite the fact he is the subject of an IOC Ethics Commission investigation.

The 2017 ANOC General Assembly concluded today in Prague following a laundry-list of resolutions passed by acclamation, one of which was the support for the Sheikh's ANOC Presidency. The two-day assembly in the Czech capital featured limited rebuttals by NOC leaders.

Traditionally, the assembly provides a platform for stakeholders to present to the world’s NOCs and delegates and meet with them personally behind the scenes. With a bloated agenda and limited time, questions and comments were scarce.

In recent years, most decisions under the current Executive Council have been taken by acclamation. In 2014 ANOC President Sheikh Ahmad and then-Vice President Patrick Hickey were voted in by a round of applause. The 2015 assembly endorsed unanimously as the as the host of the inaugural World Beach Games in 2019.

Last year, delegates took turns bashing the state of the world’s anti-doping framework and the response to the Russian state sponsored doping scandal. ANOC President Sheikh Ahmad declared support for an independent World Anti-Doping Agency president, leading to speculation that WADA chief Craig Reedie would step down.

ANOC Vice President Robin Mitchell told Around the Rings during the closing press conference that Prague was "one of the quieter assemblies" compared to years past. Mitchell, a member of the IOC Ethics Commission, said he was wearing his "ANOC hat" when questions about his role in the IOC investigation of Ahmad came up in the closing press conference of the General Assembly.

ANOC Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg said that any NOC was free to dispute the resolution and continue the debate. Doing so would require the raising of a voting card, interrupting the adoption by acclamation.

"Our meetings are always open for discussion and we had a lot of discussions and you heard the discussions yourself," Lindberg said to ATR. "The proposal was given to the assembly and everybody had the possibility and the right to express themselves. If there had been some opposition in the room and someone asked for a vote we would have accepted, no problem at all."

At the start of the assembly, ANOC first vice president Julio Maglione said Sheikh Ahmad told the executive council during its meeting of "certain info and comments that seek to involve him in matters that would undermine his image, credibility and honor."

Lindberg referenced a letter given by the Sheikh to the ANOC Executive Council, which was the basis for the resolution point.

"When the accusations against him happened, the first thing he did was to inform the IOC Ethics Commission and he has never been accused of anything in ANOC," Lindberg said in her press conference. "It’s still a file [given to] the IOC and they are waiting for the answers from the American investigation so we have nothing."

The letter relates to media reports naming Ahmad as co-conspirator #2 in a U.S. Department of Justice case against Guam Football administrator Richard Lai. Lai pleaded guilty to charges tied to soliciting and accepting bribes in exchange for FIFA votes for Asian candidates. Ahmad immediately resigned from his FIFA positions and told the IOC Ethics Commission about an inquiry by FIFA into the situation.

"As soon as I learned about these facts, I took all the requisite action and measures in all of the organizations involved in order to dispel any doubts that might exist," Maglione said. "I wish to say that the executive council took detailed note of all of these facts and decided unanimously to support our president and give him our full trust and support and I would request that we now give a round of applause."

After the round of applause, IOC President Thomas Bach addressed in his keynote the ongoing corruption scandals and delivered a rebuke to opponents of the Olympic Movement. Bach spoke at length about the need for good governance in order to restore trust in sporting institutions.

However, he said the public rarely makes any distinction between the good sports bodies do and the scandals they face. Bach said that "no body [worldwide] is immune," to manipulation of governance and corruption and that the IOC was continuing strict reforms.

For the third straight assembly, Sheikh Ahmad did not attend the closing press conference. The last media availability from the Sheikh at an ANOC General Assembly was ahead of the 2015 general assembly in Washington, D.C. Ahmad made news earlier this year when he did not travel to either IOC Session held in 2017 in Lausanne and Lima. However, he was present last week in Lausanne before traveling to Prague.

In other resolutions, the ANOC Assembly "strongly supports PyeongChang 2018," expresses full confidence in the ongoing Oswald and Schmid committees investigating the Russian doping scandal, and "considers it unacceptable that specific sanctions are already being demanded in the public domain" regarding the two commissions.

"This includes, in particular, calls by some for a resolution by WADA for a blanket ban of all Russian athletes for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, because that would be an infringement of the WADA code," the resolutions added.

The next ANOC General Assembly will be in 2018 in Tokyo hosted by the Japanese Olympic Committee. ANOC will travel to San Diego in 2019 for its annual assembly, coinciding with the World Beach Games.

Written by Aaron Bauer in Prague, Czech Republic.

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