Friendship Lands Ghana in Shame?

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 close 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