Olympic body meeting now aborts as affiliates cry foul

A meeting called by National Olympic Committee chairman Kipchoge Keino to review the proposed constitution ended in disarray after its affiliated federations alleged a plot to introduce unacceptable changes.

The affiliates also took issue with the presence of Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (Anoca) president Lassana Palenfo who declined to sit with them to discuss the proposed new constitution saying he was in Kenya only to meet with Kipchoge and Cabinet Sports Secretary Hassan Wario.

Palenfo is in the country to asses the progress of the NOC-K reforms, on behalf of the International Olympic Committee.

Several federation heads including Andrew Mudibo of Kenya Table Tennis Association, John Kameta of Boxing Association of Kenya, Waithaka Kioni of Kenya Volleyball Federation and John Kilonzo, a director at Kenya Rugby Union, demanded that the meeting addresses the four items in the roadmap given by IOC, and particularly the process of coming up with a new constitution, but Palenfo remarked that that was not what brought him to Kenya.

“I am here to meet NOC-K president Kipchoge Keino, and the Minister for Sports to find out where you are with the reform process. I have to hear from them first,” said the French speaking Palenfo through an interpreter.

The affiliate federations and several athletes led by the Professional Athletes Association of Kenya who were carrying placards, demanded the resignation of members of the executive committee involved in the Rio 2016 Olympic mess.

“In civilized democracies, those implicated would have resigned by now pending investigations, “ said Kameta. However, Palenfo quoted IOC statutes on how to deal with such situations.

“The people are innocent until proven guilty. Only the IOC can suspend the IOC officials, not even I can,” the Ivorian Military General remarked.

Palenfo declined to meet the affiliates’ representatives saying he could only consider doing so after meeting Kipchoge and Wario.

The athletes and federation chiefs at one point shouted down Keino as he tried to call for order at the meeting. They challenged him to deal with the mess within his executive committee.

“Kenya will be sanctioned by the IOC,” said Kipchoge after the meeting ended prematurely due to lack of a consensus on the agenda. “I called for a meeting to review the proposals before an AGM to pass the constitution. We are now running out of time to meet the December 31 deadline,” added a visibly agitated Keino.

Tainted Noc-K have until December 31 to complete reforms before calling for elections.

The affiliate federations also alleged a plot to discredit a draft constitution they had developed, saying some of the proposals by the executive committee were not acceptable.

“Their (Noc-K’s) proposals are aimed at protecting their interests and we will not accept them. If it means being sanctioned then that is fine, we will begin afresh,” said KTTA chairman Mudibo.

Kenya risks serious sanctions from the IOC if it fails to meet the December 31st deadline to complete it’s reform process. In a tripartite meeting held in Laussane Switzerland on December 16 which brought together officials from IOC, Noc-K and the Kenyan government , it was agreed a reform process led by the current chairman Kipchoge Keino should be initiated.

IOC directed that Noc-K holds an Extraordinary General Assembly to review and update the constitution and submit the draft to IOC for approval, paving way for fresh elections.