IOC President Could Ease Tensions in Africa

(ATR) IOC President Thomas Bach begins a week-long visit to Africa where he will encounter the successes and challenges facing the Olympic Movement on the continent.

He starts in Cape Verde, home to one of the 11 new IOC members elected in 2019, Filomena Fortes. Cape Verde successfully hosted the first African Beach Games in June.

From there it’s on to Senegal, where the 2022 Youth Olympic Games are scheduled to be held.

While the IOC is pleased to bring the YOG to Africa for the first time, disposing of the scandal involving former IAAF president and IOC member Lamine Diack and his son Papa Masata, both Senegalese, is something the IOC hopes is finished by 2022.

The Diacks are suspected of passing bribes to IOC members to secure the election of Rio and Tokyo as Olympic host cities. French prosecutors want the two men to stand trial in January. Lamine Diack is already confined to house arrest in Paris. His son has just had a first court appearance in Dakar that might lead to his extradition. No word on whether Bach will meet with President Macky Sall, who Bach has asked to help getting the younger Diack before French authorities.

Abuja, Nigeriais next, where Bach will take part in the dedication of the new headquarters of continental association ANOCA, the Association of National Olympic Committee of Africa.

The dedication ceremony will bring Bach together with ANOCA President Mustapha Berraf. Elected a year ago, Berraf and colleagues at ANOCA are under fire by critics in Africa who allege mismanagement and financial irregularities involving the African Games. The critics, who include Cape Verde’s Fortes, want to expel Berraf, along with ANOCA treasurer Habu Gumel, the Nigerian NOC President and IOC member. Like Fortes, Berraf is also a member of the IOC class of 2019. The IOC Ethics Commission has opened a file on the complaints made by Fortes and others against Berraf. No word on when any action might be taken on the complaint.

Cameroon will be the final stop on Bach’s Africa tour. He’ll meet with Kalkaba Malboum, president of the NOC. Defeated by Berraf in the ANOCA vote last year, Malboum, a man with an outsized personality, is said to remain interested in the ANOCA presidency if Berraf falters.

Berraf and Fortes are two of the five IOC members from Africa named in the class of 2019, the most at any one time for the continent, which has 17 Africans among the current 105 IOC members.

Reported by Ed Hula.