Brazilian Olympic Committee Holds Elections

(ATR) The Brazilian Olympic Committee convened this weekend to elect a vice-president, administrative council, and ethics council.

Marco Antônio La Porta, president of the Brazilian triathlon confederation, was elected vice-president, as a mixture of members of the COB and independent candidates were elected to the two councils. La Porta received 44 votes out of a total of 48 in an election which was streamed online, according to a release.

Under a restructuring of governance of the COB led by President Paulo Wanderley, the new vice-president’s roles include "improving COB governance" and preparing the team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. La Porta has held similar roles with the Brazilian delegation for the 2015 Pan American Games and the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, according to the COB.

"The election took place in the most perfect order and with total transparency, which is one of the pillars of the current administration," Wanderley said in a statement about the elections. "To the elected candidates, be very welcome to the Brazilian Olympic Committee. We count on you to continue and perfect the process of modernizing COB and Brazilian sport."

Brazil was conditionally suspended by the IOC Executive Board following the arrest of previous president Carlos Nuzman in Rio de Janeiro. Authorities charged Nuzman with corruption regarding soliciting votes for the Rio 2016 Olympics ahead of the 2009 IOC Session.

The IOC suspended the COB, while allowing Brazilian athletes to compete at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics under its own flag. Newly appointed COB President Wanderley pledged governance reforms and an expansion of potential candidates to COB positions. Under COB statues Wanderley’s mandate will run through 2020 when new presidential elections will occur. Before the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics the IOC lifted the suspension on the COB.

Voting in the elections were the 35 presidents of Brazilian sport confederations, 12 members of the athletes commission, and Brazilian IOC member Bernard Rajzman. The athletes were chosen according to their respective ranks worldwide, with the 12 best voting. Two eligible athletes to vote were busy competing abroad, leading to the registration of the next two best athletes for voting purposes.

The newly created administrative council has 10 spots, with two of the members being independent members. The other spots were reserved for eight members of the COB Assembly.

Five members will comprise the newly created ethics council. Three of the five spots were filled by independent members, while the other two were filled by confederation presidents.

Receiving the most votes for a position on the ethics council was Alberto Murray Neto, a lawyer from Sao Paulo and a noted critic of past COB President Carlos Nuzman. Neto said in an email after his election he was "honored to receive the confidence" of the general assembly to help with a new chapter of sport in Brazil.

"The moment is one of union to rescue the credibility of the Olympic Movement of Brazil, so that it returns to be the moral and ethical reference of the sport," Neto wrote on his personal website following the election. "I will work hard for these ideals, as well as all who are there will do as well."

Written by Aaron Bauer

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