Governing Bodies
AFRICAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEES SUPPORT PROCEEDING WITH OLYMPICS IN 2020, SAYS NAMIBIA CHIEFTAIN
The President of the Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC), Abner Xoagub, has claimed that his counterparts from the other African Olympic Committees support the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stance of proceeding with the Tokyo 2020 Games this summer.
Speaking at a media conference on Thursday, Xoagub said that all the African Olympic Committees backed the International Olympic Committee’s stance to continue preparing for the Tokyo Olympics to go ahead as currently scheduled, reports The Namibian.
“All the African Olympic Committees had a conference call with
the IOC President for an update on the situation on Wednesday and all the
members supported the motion to proceed with the Games,” Xoagub said.
“The IOC encourages all athletes to continue preparing for the Olympic Games so
we need to support them and will consult with them, their coaches and their
federations as well as medical staff to make sure that they adhere to the
directives.
“To date, 57 per cent of the athletes are already qualified for the Games.
“For the remaining 43 per cent of places, the IOC will work
with the international federations, to make any necessary and practical
adaptations to their respective qualification systems for Tokyo 2020.
“The possibility remains to use existing and scheduled qualification events,
wherever these still have fair access for all athletes and teams.”
At the briefing, Xoagub also confirmed details of Namibia’s road
cyclists for this summer’s Games, should they proceed as planned.
“We had a meeting with the Namibian Cycling Federation, and after going through
their performances at the qualifying events, Vera Adrian and Dan Craven have
been selected to represent Namibia at the Olympics in road cycling, with Martin
Freyer selected as a reserve to Dan,” he said.
A total of five Namibian athletes have now qualified for Tokyo 2020, with Adrian and Craven joining rower Maike Diekmann, boxer Jonas Jonas and marathon athlete Helalia Johannes.
Other Namibian athletes well placed to qualify for this summer’s Games are marathon runner Reinhold Thomas, wrestler Romeo Goliath, swimmers Phillip Seidler and Alexander Skinner, mountain bike riders, Tristan de Lange and Alex Miller, karatekas Suxelle Pronk and Freddy Mwiya Junior and athlete Beatrice Masilingi.
Secretary general of the NNOC Joan Smit provided an update on how the above athletes were faring in the race to secure spots for this summer’s Olympics.
“Reinhold’s qualifying event was cancelled, so the International Association of Athletics Federations will now make a decision based on his performance at the World Championships last year,” Smit said.
“Romeo’s final qualifying event has also been cancelled, but he did very well at the African Championships in Algiers, so we are hopeful that he will qualify.
“The qualifying events for both Phillip and Alexander are due to take place in May, so hopefully that can still go ahead.
“Swimmers and athletes, in fact, can still qualify until June, so there is still time for them and our top athletes like Beatrice.
“Suzelle and Freddy’s karate qualifying event has been cancelled, but hopefully it can be rescheduled, while Michelle Vorster has a 99 per cent chance of qualifying – she has been competing in Spain recently to improve her world ranking.
“The qualifying races for the men’s mountain bike spot have been cancelled, but we will continue to monitor that situation.”
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Governing Bodies
FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings against Congo officials over financial misconduct
FIFA’s ethics committee launched disciplinary proceedings against three senior Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT) officials on Wednesday, including president Jean-Guy Mayolas, over allegations of financial misconduct.
Mayolas, his wife and his son were sentenced to life in prison earlier this month after a criminal court in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, convicted them of embezzling $1.1 million in FIFA funds. Media reports said their whereabouts were not known , and they were tried in absentia.
FECOFOOT general secretary Wantete Badji and treasurer Raoul Kanda are also subject to the disciplinary proceedings, FIFA said. Badji and Kanda were sentenced to five years each in prison by the court in Brazzaville for related charges.
“These proceedings follow the receipt of information and documents during an audit,” FIFA said in a statement.
-Reuters
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The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering rewriting its rules to try barring President Donald Trump and all U.S. government officials from attending the LA Olympics in 2028, in a move that could also have implications for the World Cup being hosted by the U.S. this summer.
The proposal, on the agenda for next Tuesday’s meeting of the global drug-fighting watchdog’s executive committee, is the latest manoeuvre to come out of a yearslong refusal of the U.S. government to pay its annual dues to WADA.
The refusal is part of the American government’s unanimous, bipartisan protest of the agency’s handling of a case involving Chinese swimmers and other issues.
The Associated Press learned of the agenda item through correspondence it obtained between WADA and European officials involved in the agency’s decision-making. Two others with knowledge of the agenda confirmed the existence of the rules proposal to AP; they were not authorised to speak publicly about the agenda, which has not been released publicly.
The proposal was, in fact, first brought up in 2024, when U.S. authorities successfully lobbied for its rejection. The U.S. has since lost its seat on the executive committee.
“In spite of WADA’s increasing threats, we continue to stand firm in our demand for accountability and transparency from WADA to ensure fair competition in sport,” said Sara Carter, the director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
The rule, if passed, would figure to be mostly symbolic, given the limits an international sports federation could have on the president of a country attending an event inside his own borders.
“I have never heard of a $50-million-budget Swiss foundation being able to enforce a rule to, for example, prevent the United States president from going anywhere,” said Carter’s predecessor at ONDCP, Rahul Gupta, who was on the WADA executive committee two years ago and led the movement to reject the proposal. “And the next question you have to ask is: How are you going to enforce it? Are they going to post a red notice from Interpol? It’s ludicrous. It’s clear they have not thought this through.”
In a news release after this story published, WADA said the AP story was “entirely misleading,” focusing on Fitzgerald’s statement to the AP that if proposals being discussed were “introduced, given that the rules would not apply retroactively, the FIFA World Cup, LA and Salt Lake City Games (in 2034) would not be covered.”
Fitzgerald’s only answer to three emails from AP seeking clarification on his initial response — specifically about how a rule that had not yet been adopted could or couldn’t be applied retroactively on events that are scheduled for the future — was: “I’m trying to say that it would not apply retroactively so those events would not be covered. Given that and the next meeting of the Board being scheduled for November, I don’t see how it could come into play for this year’s World Cup.”
-AP
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The Confederation of African Football has dismissed Yasin Osman Robleh, the Djiboutian official who headed its judicial bodies for the past six years, in a move aimed at restoring confidence in the organisation’s disciplinary processes.
According to reports from convergence sources, the decision was confirmed on Saturday by CAF Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba, bringing an abrupt end to Robleh’s tenure overseeing the confederation’s disciplinary and investigative committees since 2019.
Robleh’s position reportedly came under increasing pressure following the controversy surrounding sanctions imposed after the Africa Cup of Nations Final between Morocco and Senegal. The disciplinary decisions that followed the match sparked criticism from several quarters and placed CAF’s legal framework under intense scrutiny.
In response to the situation, CAF’s Executive Committee has appointed Togolese lawyer Cedric Egai, currently the confederation’s Director of Legal Affairs, as interim head of the judicial bodies.
Egai is expected to stabilise the organisation’s legal arm while CAF works toward appointing a permanent successor to Robleh.
Disciplinary Decisions Delayed
The leadership change has already affected ongoing disciplinary processes within the confederation. CAF’s disciplinary committee reportedly held hearings last Thursday on several cases, including the high-profile encounter involving Egypt’s Al Ahly and Morocco’s AS FAR.
However, decisions on those matters have been temporarily put on hold pending the confirmation of new leadership within the judicial structure.
Sources indicate that once a permanent successor is appointed, CAF will move swiftly to conclude outstanding disciplinary rulings affecting both clubs and national teams.
Restoring Confidence
The move is widely seen as part of CAF’s effort to restore confidence in its judicial system following weeks of controversy surrounding disciplinary decisions at major competitions.
Robleh’s departure closes a significant chapter in CAF’s legal administration, while Egai’s interim appointment signals a potential shift in leadership and governance at a critical time for African football.
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