Ghana GOC Congress: Baba & Appiah Initiate “Operation Elimination”

Ghana GOC Congress: B.T. Baba and Frank Appiah Initiate “Operation Elimination”

(John Oduro-Mensah)

Most Ghanaians have been lulled into a false sense of security the GOC problem is resolved, especially after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) lifted the suspension on Ghana. The removal of the suspension was in response to Parliament modifying the existing sports law. Given the calm on the airwaves and in the print media since the announcement, Ghanaians can be forgiven for expecting peace and progress on the sports development front. The reality however, is that the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) is about to be plunged into another war.

This time around, it will not be because of government interference nor can one claim that the National Sporting Associations, who are the true constituent members of GOC, are illegally constituted; the IOC has already acknowledged that all relevant pieces (in-line with the IOC Charter) are now in place for a Congress to proceed. The problem is, that it seems the IOC forgot to warn the out-going GOC executive board about trying to circumvent the IOC charter to carry out personal vendettas.

Elimination by Hook or Crook

Anonymous sources close to the B.T. Baba led GOC executive board have leaked what is considered the master plan for a covert initiative titled “Operation Elimination”. Specifically, the executive board is in the process of forming a “congress vetting committee” which will be tasked with vetting candidates for executive board positions in the up-coming GOC congress. For reference, the GOC constitution does not require vetting of candidates beyond GOC membership. The plan as explained by two different sources is to use the vetting committee as cover to weed out key candidates for GOC congress. If this tactic sounds familiar, you are not mistaken; remember the 2011 Ghana Football Association congress? GOC has never ever used such a committee to approve candidates for congress so why now. How is this brewing plot if true in line with the spirit of the Olympic Charter?

According sources, the sole purpose of having such a committee is to make sure that Prof. Francis Dodoo, president of Ghana Athletics Association (GAA), is ruled ineligible to stand for congress. The idea is for the committee to use the false allegation of drug use leveled against Prof Dodoo by Frank Appiah as justification for the disqualification. Prof Dodoo has sued Appiah for damages. For reference, Prof Dodoo is the duly elected President of GAA recognized by both IAAF and by extension IOC. Would the IAAF have accepted and ratified him as President of GAA if the claims that he were a drugs cheat were true?

Mr Appiah alleges that Prof Dodoo either dodged a test or tested positive for performance enhancing drugs during the 1988 Olympic Games; it is imperative to note here that dodging a test is considered equivalent to failing the test, as can be seen from the lists of drug cheats that will be reference below, on which even those who avoided tests are reported as drug cheats.

Let me be clear; there is absolutely no evidence of Prof Dodoo dodging or testing positive for banned drugs and Mr. Appiah has failed to provide a shred of evidence. He is currently facing a defamation lawsuit, which will proceed when the legal year resumes from its recess. In addition, there is no evidence of this so-called positive test from IOC and IAAF records. The lists of persons who have tested positive for drugs in the Olympic Games in all sports as well as those who have tested positive in athletics, respectively, can be found at the following websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_of_performance-enhancing_drugs_in_the_Olympic_Games http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_doping_cases_in_athletics

A simple search by name or even by country “Ghana” shows how unfounded the allegations are, and how malicious the GOC efforts are.

The purpose launching such an accusation is simply to foster confusion in the run up to the Congress and possibly leading to another postponement of the Congress. It is also possible that the current executive wants to remain the defacto GOC despite IOC declaration that GOC must proceed to congress immediately. Obviously, the clearly understand that their actions could lead to an even more serious ban of the Olympic movement in Ghana therefore the question is; do they not care about that possibility?

From our sources, here is what “Operation Elimination” is scheduled to look like: “IOC Charter frowns on drug cheats. Therefore if you paint Prof Dodoo as a drug cheat, the congress vetting committee can then use this allegation to disqualify Prof Dodoo by claiming he cannot contest as a candidate for GOC presidency until the allegations are proven one way or the other. The rational is that such an action will save GOC’s name from being tainted if the allegations are later proven and if not; oh well he can try next time; BRILLIANT.”

B.T. Baba Against IOC Charter: Checks and Balances

Unfortunately B.T. Baba’s executive board will probably have to execute some serious gymnastics to pull this off. The current GOC constitution is weak on protecting democratic processes by failing to spell out key process. We can only assume that B.T. Baba and company plan to use the lack of clarity on key issues in the GOC constitution as cover for ulterior motives. However, IOC in its wisdom requires all National Olympic Committees including GOC to insert the following clause in its constitution. Thus, there is a clause in the current GOC constitution, i.e., article 31 that states:

“The constitution of the GOC shall at all times be in accordance with the Olympic Charter and refer expressly to the latter. If there is any doubt as to the application or interpretation of the constitution of the GOC, or if there is any contradiction between the GOC constitution and the Olympic Charter, the latter takes precedence.”

A challenge to the brewing “Operation Elimination” will require all parties to defer to the IOC Charter. Close scrutiny of the IOC Charter indicates that IOC has a “Nominations Commission”. However, the sole purpose of that nominations commission is to screen candidates for IOC membership, not to vet people for the Executive Board. Said another way, the IOC does not have a committee dedicated to vetting candidates for election onto its executive board.

It seems the only requirement to stand as a candidate for IOC’s executive board is nomination by an IOC member or IOC affiliate organization. Similarly, the normative practice in Ghana has been to have the national associations nominate their own candidates who in turn stand as candidates for executive board positions.

That is how B.T. Baba was elected and that is how the last disputed congress was planned. It is so fishy that all of a sudden the process has changed. Meanwhile the change has not been done in consultation with the GOC members, who are the current associations.

Rather, the “former” national sporting association executives have reportedly been roped into meetings with the few remaining members of Mr. Baba’s executive to perpetrate this on Ghana, something that has the potential to get Ghana banned again

This begs the question; why would the GOC executive board work with past chairmen who were appointed [against IOC charter rules] and are no longer members of GOC? It seems democracy is a one-way street for B.T. and co. Circumventing GOC constitution and the IOC charter is fair game for B.T. Baba as long as he is the beneficiary or it works against his adversaries. Someone forgot to tell B.T. Baba that in a democratic environment, even your adversaries have the right to hold power.

Using Fraudsters to Circumvent the System Some of the former executives purported to be members of this vetting committee are of questionable character and have a history of circumventing constitutions and attempting to defraud International Federations. Specifically I am referring to the former chair of Ghana Athletics Association, Mr Sandy Osei-Agyemang. He is said to be the chair of B.T. Baba’s vetting committee.

Mr. Sandy Osei-Agyeman was exposed by Prof Dodoo as the architect of a fraudulent process that resulted in GAA notifying IAAF in 2006 that it had held a Congress where members approved GAA’s constitution as required. For the record, GAA never held a general assembly under the tenure of Mr Osei-Agyeman. Indeed, Mr Osei-Agyemang connived with the former minister for Sports under the previous NPP government, Mr. O.B. Amoah, to declare an attempt by GAA members to hold Congress as illegal in 2008.

So the B.T. Baba led GOC executive board is asking a known constitution fraudster to stand in judgment of Professor Dodoo’s character, when it is Dodoo who exposed the fraudulent actions of Mr. Osei-Agyemang? Is Mr. Baba simply trying to provoke confusion so that the congress is again set aside? This is not the first time B.T. Baba and co have sort to undermine duly elected executive boards of national sporting associations. In March 2011 while Ghana was under IOC suspension, the Confederation of Athletics Associations (CAA [continental body for Athletics]) and IAAF reprimanded B.T. Baba and co for fraudulently assuming the powers of GAA. For details on the story, please Google “Suspended GOC Executive Frank Appiah Caught Defrauding Continental Body.”

Mr. B.T. Baba has recast himself as the superhero for democracy in sports governance in Ghana. He has also claimed the mantle of “staunch defender of the Olympic Charter” despite 14 years of circumventing the system to his advantage. This brings me back to my original question: how is GOC’s “Operation Elimination” in line with the spirit of the Olympic Charter and designed to move Ghana forward? Now we know what selfish interests people have, for which they are willing to put mother Ghana’s Olympic participation at risk.