GOC Congress billed for Kumasi

Accra, Oct. 7, GNA - Members of the Olympic Movement in Ghana will converge at the Miklin Hotel, Kumasi on Saturday October, 29, for the much awaited Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) Congress, a month after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) welcomed Ghana back into their fold.

The Congress, which seeks to elect new executive members of the GOC will be the second for Ghana in two years following the abortive elections held in 2009 that plunged the Association into a turmoil. Benson Tongo Baba, President of the GOC in a communiqu=E9 dubbed, =91Road for GOC terminal Congress', said submission of nominations will be opened on Monday, October 10, with the deadline for submission of forms fixed for Friday, October 14.

It also set Friday, October 14 as the deadline for the submission of minutes, report and constitution of the various National Federations, whose members will be drawn as delegates for the Congress.

According to the communiqu=E9 copied to the GNA Sports, four Committees have been formed with the oversight responsibility for the elections.

The Committee which comprises 18 members is the Election sub-committee which will have three persons drawn from the Electoral Commission as members.

There will be a five-member Vetting sub-committee, a five-member Arbitration committee and a five-member Organizing sub-committee. The Congress, the highest decision making body of the GOC is expected to elect members for the positions of President, three Vice Presidents, Secretary-General, Assistant Secretary-General, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer.

The other positions are five elected representatives from the National Federations affiliated to international federations in the Olympic program, one elected non-Olympic Sport, one elected affiliated Association, three other members elected by Congress and the election of honorary members as recommended by the Executive Board. All officers of the Executive Board, according to the communiqu=E9 shall be eligible for re-election irrespective of the fact that they no longer belong to any Federation/Association as stated by Article 11(3) of the GOC constitution.

The IOC in August lifted a year ban on Ghana after passage of the Sports Bill, by Parliament, an issue the global outfit ranked as a condition for the lifting of the ban to pave way for the Congress. In July, a meeting involving officials from the IOC, the government of Ghana and the GOC led by Mr Baba held in Lausanne, Switzerland, saw the IOC instructing Ghana to pass the Bill and willed the latter to facilitate a Congress within eight weeks. The passage of the Sports Bill, which ranked high on the roadmap of the international body, was to bring Ghana's regulation in conformity with the IOC. The IOC, citing political interference in the administration of the Ghana Olympic Committee, (GOC) suspended the nation from its membership in January.

Ghana was suspended following concerns with the country's sports law, which the IOC found incompatible with the principles and rules of the Olympic Charter and what the global body deemed as a lack of commitment to revising the sports legislation before the end of 2010. 07 Oct. 2011