GOC Congress hangs in balance

Accra, Oct. 12, GNA - The impending Ghana Olympic Committee's (GOC) Congress scheduled for October 29 in Kumasi may not see the light of day after-all due to a planned boycott by the various National Sports Associations.

The Presidents of the 33-National Sports Associations affiliated to the National Sports Authority (NSA) at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, confirmed their non-participation in the elective General Assembly due to unfavourable electoral procedures set out by the outgoing Executive Board.

Nii Adote Din Barima, President of the Ghana Karate Do Association and spokesperson of the group, expressed disgust at the plot by the outgoing Executives to twirl the elections towards their direction.

With an October 14 deadline for the submission of nominations, he voiced out that no member of his group will be a part of the upcoming Congress to elect new Executives for a four-year tenure. The group has challenged the Benson Tongo Baba-led Board to convene an extraordinary congress within 10 days to address the various issues, else it would be compelled to invoke Article 18 of the Olympic Charter, which states that 93Extraordinary Sessions may be convened by the President or upon the written request of at least one third of the members."

Nii Adote explained that the various sports Associations constitute the membership of the GOC and will be compelled to invoke Article 18 of the Olympic Charter should their request fell on deaf ears.

"We will hold an extraordinary congress on October 23 if they the (outgoing Executive Board) fail to respond to our request" he warned. The GOC has been engulfed in a leadership battle after an abortive Congress on June 30 2009.