By: (NII AYI TETTEH-Atlanta, Georgia, USA)
Can it be said that the lack of technical know-how by the acting chief executive
officer of the National Sports Council, Mr. Wolanyo Agra, one of the closeset
pals of President John Evans Atta Mills, has recorded Ghana as the first African
country to be banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC)?.
The IOC on Thursday, January 13, 2011, suspended the Ghanaian National Committee
after government failed to take agreed steps to ensure no political interference
in the body which started on Mr Agra's assumption of office early in 2009.
The acting NSC CEO it would be recalled hurriedly listed what many described as
'friends and faithfuls' of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to
replace the then existing executives of the various national sports
associations.
He ended up using the same list to conduct elections for the Benson Tongo
Baba-led Ghana Olympic Committee and ignored the old executives of the various
associations.
This undoubtedly incurred the wrath of the Baba-led executive, as there was no
democracy in the elections.
Subsequently, the IOC nullified the GOC elections Mr. Agra conducted with the
help of Nii Lante Vanderpuye, a Presidential Aide.
The Baba-led GOC was asked to be given the free-room to organise a fresh
elections, but the acting NSC CEO categorically maintained he would not comply
and went ahead to conduct 'illegal' elections for the national sports
associations using his personal list that excluded the old executives.
The matter was headed for settlement by the then Youth & Sports Minister, Hon.
Rashid Pelpuo, but he was interestingly replaced with Hon Akua Sena Dansua.
This indeed fired up Mr. Agra who took advantage of his lineage to convince the
female Minister to support his game-plan which lacked democracy.
Hon Dansua also called the bluff of IOC, saying "the international organisation
cannot dictate to Ghana", but after almost 2 years of patience, the IOC resolved
to remove Ghana's Olympic Committee from its books.
Owing to rumour making rounds that Mr. Agra keeps 'bragging' that President
Mills cannot change him as the NSC boss, Ghanaians are tight-lipped over making
any comments on him, perhaps with the fear of being threatened with death.
Amazingly, as the power-play went on, two members of the Agra-formed GOC and the
Baba-led GOC have since passed away.
*Flashback
Below is a full two-page letter written to Ghana's Minister of Youth and
Sports, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, last June by the International Olympic
Committee(IOC) that
it does not regard the twenty(20) associations that she claims have
democratically elected their executives and ready for congress to be called by
Mr. B.T Baba, recgconized boss of the Ghana Olympic Committee.
This was IOC's response to a letter written and signed by Ms Akua Sena Dansua,
dated June 8, 2010, with reference number WE.43/175/01, claiming that the
current GOC impasse has been solved as twenty(20) associations have been made
to
conduct democratic elections to elect executives, Ms Dansua, was referred to
consistent reccommendations made by the IOC to the Ghana government and
Ministry
of Youth and Sports during the reign of Mr. Rashid Pelpuo, the ast
sector minister.
According to the IOC, the only group and executives it acknowledges is that of
Mr. Baba and his executives.
It will be recalled that Ms Dansua, made it known during the
inauguration of the Board of the National Sports Council that Government has
already taken major steps to get the GOC matter settled once and for all and
urged all to help resolve the impasse with concrete measures to avoid
unpalatable repercussions in the international sporting arena.
Letter from IOC
Hon. Akua Sena Dansua
Minister of Youth and Sports
Republic of Ghana
Fax: +233 21 66 27 94 / 66 03 44
NOC Relations Department
Ref. No 2010/jpy
Lausanne, 30 June 2010
Situation of the Ghana Olympic Committee and the Olympic Movement in Ghana
Excellency,
We acknowledge, with thanks, receipt of your letter dated 8 June 2010 (Ref: WE-
43/175/01) and we appreciate your commitment and your efforts to help resolving
the
current situation affecting the Olympic Movement in Ghana.
However, as you refer to the implementation of the IOC / ASOIF / ANOCA roadmap
dated
25 November 2009, we would like to take this opportunity to recall the
following
steps:
1. With respect to the situation of the National Federations (NFs) and as it
was
clearly
stated in Paragraph 2.a. of the roadmap dated 25 November 2009, the whole
process falls under the jurisdiction of the respective International
Federations
(IFs)
to which they are affiliated. Therefore, we are waiting for the confirmation
from
each IF concerned of the status of their respective NFs.
In addition, Paragraph 2.b. of the roadmap clearly states that the composition
of
the NOC will include the NFs duly recognised by the IFs.
2. With respect to the NOC elective General Assembly, Paragraph 3 of the roadmap
states clearly that the outgoing NOC President, Mr Baba, together with the
outgoing NOC Executive Committee, duly recognised by the IOC and ANOCA, are
responsible for the implementation of the NOC electoral process in accordance
with the NOC Statutes currently in force (approved by the IOC) and the Olympic
Charter, under the supervision of the IOC and ANOCA. Therefore and to achieve
this, the outgoing NOC Executive Committee under Mr Baba’s leadership shall be
given the means to work normally and the NOC office must be returned to them,
as clearly stated in the same Paragraph of the roadmap. Apparently, this step
has
not been respected so far which creates a lot of confusion and does not help
resolve this issue. Therefore, we respectfully ask you to take all necessary
steps at
your level in order to ensure the immediate fulfilment of this step which has
been
requested since the very beginning.
3. Last but not least, since it is a key step which is under your entire
jurisdiction, we
do appreciate your commitment and your action to review the sports legislation
in
Ghana in order to make it compatible with the basic principles of the Olympic
Charter and the IFs regulations, as mentioned in the roadmap. Once again, as
this
step is fundamental for a long-term solution which we are all looking for, we
invite
you, if this is not done already, to closely associate the NOC of Ghana as
recognised by the IOC and ANOCA as well as the organisations which constitute
the Olympic Movement in Ghana to this process in a constructive manner and with
mutual respect and trust.
We hope that this step can be completed and the new sports legislation formally
adopted and enforced as soon as possible, as this would help moving forward the
whole process and resolve the current situation.
As you know, we all want this situation to be resolved and the Ghana Olympic
Committee
as recognised by the IOC and ANOCA to be in a condition to hold its elective
General
Assembly as soon as possible, for the best interest of sport and the athletes
in
your
country. For that purpose, we respectfully ask all parties involved to
accomplish the part of
the roadmap they are responsible for in a constructive and coordinated manner.
We thank you for your kind understanding and for your valuable cooperation and
we hope
that altogether you can achieve these objectives for the benefit of the Olympic
Movement
in Ghana.
Yours sincerely,
(And signed by the following)
1.Pere MIRÓ
NOC Relations
Director
International Olympic
Committee (IOC)
2. Andrew RYAN
Director
Association of Summer Olympic
International Federations
(ASOIF)
3. Intendant General Lassana
PALENFO
President of the Association of the
National Olympic Committees of
Africa (ANOCA) and IOC member
Cc:
- Jacques ROGGE, IOC President
- Mr Benson T. BABA, President, Ghana Olympic Committee
INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
Château de Vidy, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland, Tel. +41 21 621 6111 / Fax +41 21
621 6216 / www.olympic.org
