Professor Francis Dodoo calls for International Olympic Committee’s Intervention
In the wake of the general elections for the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Professor Francis Dodoo, the president of the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA), has called for the International Olympic Committee to play its role to sustain its democratic credentials
in the athletic body of the African country.
The GOC general elections have been scheduled to take place on the 29th of October. In the backdrop of the reportedly biased Election Guidelines issued by present Executive Board of the GOC, which were a violation to the essence of the democratic
practices, Prof. Dodoo has requested the International Olympic Committee to intervene.
Professor Dodoo was of the view that the crisis had highlighted the crucial matter which had also posed a severe challenge to the democratic credentials maintained by the IOC.
He said, “The stage is set for the IOC to demonstrate to all that they believe in democracy as they have done since this feud started. They must as a matter of urgency step in to examine the guidelines in order to establish whether they are in tune with
the GOC’s constitution and the Olympic Charter”.
The president of the GAA alleged that the current election guidelines were mere an attempt to hamper the members of the current Associations and Federations from contesting the poll and to keep the present power holders in the seat.
Pointing out one such issue which was a bone of contention for the current members, Dodoo said that the election procedures had never required the candidates to be vetted before elections in the past; this was a culture totally strange to the GOC.
While commenting on the guidelines, the former national triple jumper said that they were cumbersome. Pointing out one of the guidelines, which stated, “No candidate shall hold any office in a Political Party or any organization established for Political
Purpose”,
Dodoo stated that it could affect a number of current members of the association’s ability to contest in the polls. To him, in order to avert the looming crisis, the intervention by the International Olympic Committee had become imperative.
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