Nock's deputy president Pius Ochieng resigns

Embattled National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) deputy president Pius Ochieng has resigned.

Ochieng, who is also the Kenya Weightlifting Federation (KWF) chairman, and is among top Nock officials facing charges of mismanagement of Team Kenya at the Rio Olympic Games, threw in the towel in a press statement late Friday.

Ochieng’s move comes days after a furious International Olympic Committee (IOC) threatened to reprimand Kenya over a failed election when its Executive Board meets on July 9-10, this year in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The IOC have demanded for concrete answers from the botched Nock elections on May 5 after a High Court injunction.

“I have decided to let go of a heavy burden that I have been carrying over the years as the second Deputy President of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock),” said Ochieng, who was the overall team manager of Team Kenya for the Rio Olympic Games.

“As a former sportsman who has competed at the highest level in the Olympics and major games, I will be failing fellow sportsmen and sportswomen, by not coming out openly to disassociate myself with the actions that my colleagues at Nock that have put Kenya at loggerheads with the IOC.”

Ochieng claimed that he is tired of being used as part of the “selfish interests” being spearheaded by some officials within Nock.

“It is wrong when the true spirit of sports is exchanged for greediness and selfishness so that sports administrators can remain in control by any means,” said Ochieng.

Ochieng said that it is time to let the healing process of making Kenyan sports great again by putting athletes as the main focus and not the selfish interest of officials.

Ochieng, Nock secretary general Francis Paul and deputy treasurer Stephen Soi, who was the chef de mission for Team Kenya at Rio Olympics, were charged with stealing kits and money meant for the team.

They were released on bail.