• Says reforms process has been approved by IOC, OCA 

Both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) have officially conveyed their willingness to unfreeze suspended funds to the National Olympic Committee (NOC), newly appointed Secretary General of the NOC Rifdy Fahmy reveals. 

The two global institutions for Olympic sports had frozen funds to the NOC since late last year, until the local body had expelled all its officials tainted by corruption and various other allegations of a serious nature.

“The IOC and the OCA have officially communicated to us to release the frozen funds by the coming week,” Fahmy, who only assumed his post the previous month, told The Sunday Morning Sports.

“The reason for this change in stance is on account of both organisations being content with the reforms process currently being initiated by the NOC under its incumbent President. 

“The NOC has been in regular dialogue with both bodies during the past six-month period. As they are satisfied with the changes we have brought about to the governance structure, they have decided to release the funds,” he said. 

Fahmy stated that both the IOC and OCA had also been supportive of the prominence given by the NOC to aspects of accountability and transparency when carrying out its ongoing reforms process.

He said that this had also been a contributory factor in the two overseas-based bodies deciding to lift the lid on the frozen funds to the local body.

According to the NOC Secretary General, the IOC and OCA joint official communiqué to the NOC had been signed by OCA Director General (DG) Husain Al-Musallam and IOC NOC Relations, Olympic Solidarity, and Olympism365 Director James Macleod, respectively.

He further added that positions at the NOC that had fallen vacant following the resignation of a few officials in the recent past had now been filled according to the provisions of its Constitution, asserting that most of the obstacles placed in its path had now been overcome. 

Fahmy remarked that the NOC would also be instituting legal action against a State-owned bank, which he alleged had “unilaterally and arbitrarily” frozen its official bank account, preventing them from paying staff salaries and bonuses in the recent past.   

The IOC and OCA imposed a sanction on NOC funds following acute governance failures amidst allegations of financial misconduct, especially those surrounding its former Secretary General Maxwell de Silva.

De Silva, who was suspended indefinitely by the Sports Minister in January this year, was subsequently imposed a five-year ban by the NOC President based on the findings and recommendations of its independent Ethics Committee.

Meanwhile, a few other individuals have also since officially resigned from the Olympic House as the ongoing reforms process launched by the NOC leadership gathers steam with the blessings of the IOC and OCA.  

(JK)