Controversy over Sports Minister’s ‘meeting’ with IOC

There is brewing controversy surrounding Sports Minister Clement Kofi Humado’s supposed meeting with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last week in Geneva.

An e-mail intercepted by Joy Sports denies the minister had a meeting with the IOC in Switzerland to discuss efforts made to overturn the suspension on Ghana.

Ghana was suspended from the IOC following reports of government interference in the business of the Ghana Olympic Committee.

An election that brought in Prof Dodoo as the President of the GOC has been contested.

Currently the country has two chairmen of the GOC- the Prof Dodoo led administration which recognised by government and the BT Baba led administration which recognised by the IOC.

This led to the banning of the country from the IOC.

Last week, the Sport Minister, Kofi Humado hinted of a meeting with officials at the IOC during which it was agreed that Ghana will be reinstated into the IOC once a new sports bill currently before Parliament is approved.

But an e-mail sent by the IOC’s Head of Institutional Relations and Governance Jerome Poivey to an official of the Ghana Olympic Committee denied any such meeting.

“We wish to inform you that we did not meet with His Excellency the Minister of Sports as he has said in Ghana and on the networks. However, as we discussed some time ago we shall organize a meeting together with his His Excllency the Minister of Sports and you the Ghana Olympics Committee in order to review the current situation and the next steps. We shall revert back to you shortly and propose some dates for this meeting,” the email said.

Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Clement Kofi Humado told Joy Sports he is shocked at claims that he did not meet the IOC.

“I’m very disappointed because as I’m struggling to raise the image of Ghana by trying to do all we can to return to the IOC…there are people there who are not interested in progress or what?” he asked.

Meanwhile the IOC is said to be awaiting, as a condition, the passage of the Sport Bill by Parliament before Ghana will be admitted to the committee.