ATR First: Stalemate Over Africa Olympics Leadership Tussle

(ATR) New correspondence seen by Around the Rings shows an apparent stalemate over the need for an extraordinary General Assembly to resolve questions over the presidency of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa.

Last week, Djibouti National Olympic Committee President Aicha Garad Ali wrote to the 54 NOCs of Africa calling for an extraordinary assembly to clear the air over the May election held in Djibouti. In her letter, Ali said information withheld at the meeting undermined the assembly’s integrity.

Ali believes the election was tainted by the failure to disclose a decision from the IOC Ethics Commission and the dissemination of information that may have been planted to discredit the ANOCA presidential candidacy of Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, president of the Cameroon NOC.

The executive board of ANOCA disqualified Malboum from the election, leaving incumbent Lassana Palenfo as the only candidate. In addition, Malboum’s accreditation was revoked, meaning he could not be present at the 2017 General Assembly to plead his case.

In a Sept. 2 letter to all 54 ANOCA members, Palenfo acknowledges that there are concerns about the vote. He says that if the allegations of impropriety are confirmed, the ANOCA Executive Board is prepared to call a new election.

Palenfo writes that the decisions taken in Djibouti will be reviewed by an ANOCA Ethics Commission. Additionally, he notes the Malboum has launched an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Resolution of both cases is needed before the question of calling an extraordinary assembly can be answered, says Palenfo.

He suggests that ANOCA call an "informal meeting" in October when all the African NOCs will be in Prague for the annual meeting of the Association of National Olympic Committees.

"The request of an Extraordinary General Assembly for a limited period of time of less than two months, although legitimate, might be premature, and is most likely not to reach a fair solution in either ways, as long as the CAS did not come up with a verdict and our new Ethics Commission has not decided the case," Palenfo writes in the letter seen by ATR.

In a Sept. 3 response, Ali disputes Palenfo’s letter, complaining tha it does "not in any way lift any ambiguity, but rather introduce more confusion."

Ali says that Palenfo’s letter does not clear up why correspondence from the IOC Ethics Commission was not shared with the General Assembly after it was received on May 8. She adds that because of this, delegates in the General Assembly were never allowed to debate the matter, which is why a new extraordinary assembly must be called.

"Asking ANOCA to await the decision regarding a case on which we have almost no information and which was a personal decision, will in no way provide answers to urgent questions of concern to us all: LACK OF TRANSPARENCY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF EVENTS IN DJIBOUTI."

Ali says that a formal assembly is needed in Prague to clear up the lack of communication about the IOC decision, the fact that documents were produced under false pretenses to bar a presidential candidate, the lack of authority of the assembly to debate these events, and the "right to demand answers."

"This Extraordinary Assembly in Prague will lay no financial burdens on ANOCA given that all NOCs will be on site and facilities provided by ANOC," Ali writes. "This matter is urgent and our continent will remain divided if it not addressed as quickly as possible. We have in our midst a problem of confidence and transparency."

Djibouti NOC secretary general Faissal Ruguib tells Around the Rings that he believes fellow NOCs in Africa will heed the call of Ali, who is also an IOC member.

"We are looking forward to our NOCs understanding the gravity of the situation and finally opening their eyes to see how the entire continent has been manipulated and lied to." Ruguib says.

"One thing we know is that we need to urgently come together and address this issue which has already divided the continent and is likely to worsen the already bad enough leadership situation and management of ANOCA," he says.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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