Fresh elections planned for athletics

ATHLETICS Namibia is going back to the drawing board after the world governing body ordered it to hold fresh elections by June 20.

The decision was announced by the director of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Sheik Thiare, at a media conference yesterday.
Thiare said an ad-hoc committee is now in place and has been formally charged with organising an open, transparent and democratic election process.
This means that there is no leadership for AN in existence and the Interim Committee which was established with a view to stabilise the situation after a stalemate during the 2008 November elections, is also null and void.
‘All the parties must play a fair game now. The ad-hoc committee has been mandated by the IAAF to carry out the responsibility to ensure a smooth election process with a view of having a recognised and legitimate AN leadership through an elective congress on June 20,’ said Thiare.
The congress is scheduled for Otjiwarongo and will be fully funded by the Namibia Sport Commission, according to its chief administrative officer, Rusten Mogane.
Thiare, a director of the IAAF presidential executive office, was specially assigned to resolve the Namibian athletics crisis and prior to the announcement yesterday, already had met the feuding parties.
He said the solution to the problem as identified by the IAAF was to appoint an ad-hoc committee, which is in line with the regulations of the world body to prepare fresh elections.
He said the IC is not recognised by the IAAF and could thus not serve any longer, while the former administration under its president Alpha Kangueehi was also declared invalid.
He said the ad-hoc committee consist of five members: Donovan Zealand (the chairperson), Mike Haimbodi, Joe Kaperu, Agnes Samaria and Abraham So-/oabeb.
Zealand also served on the IC before while Haimbodi was the secretary general of AN.
Samaria is a former Namibian middle-distance runner, Joe Kaperu is the current secretary general of Boxing Namibia, and So-/oabeb is an official in the Ministry of Sport.
Thiare said in case of another tie, the IAAF will be forced to provide a solution, but ‘I don’t foresee that happening again’.
He said the elections will now be open and anyone can vie for the presidency.
Namibian track legend Frank Fredericks and Kangueehi were the only candidates who contested the presidency at the November 2008 elections, which ended in a tie.
Thiare said it will be important for the newly elected leadership to make sure that officials in the regions are elected democratically.
He said he was surprised to learn that most regional executive committees were not properly constituted and that some did not even have secretary generals or chairpersons, but mere representatives.
‘The new AN leadership has to make sure that competent people who have the interest of the sport at heart are elected into the regional committees,’ he said.
corry@namibian.com.na