Ganga on the ropes
African IOC member seeks support against expulsion
Posted: Wednesday February 24, 1999 01:01 PM
LONDON (AP) -- The African Olympic official at the heart of the
Salt Lake City bribery scandal is trying to mobilize African
support in a desperate bid to fight expulsion from the IOC.
But Jean-Claude Ganga, the IOC member accused of receiving more
than $200,000 in cash and inducements from Salt Lake, has
little backing for his cause, African Olympic officials said
Wednesday.
Ganga, president of the Association of National Olympic
Committees of Africa (ANOCA), has called an emergency meeting of
the organization's executive committee for next Tuesday in
Libreville, Gabon.
Ganga, of the Republic of Congo, wants ANOCA's support before he
argues against his expulsion at the March 17-18 general assembly of
the International Olympic Committee.
But two senior African Olympic officials, speaking on condition
of anonymity, said several ANOCA delegates are refusing to attend
the Gabon meeting out of disdain for Ganga.
It is uncertain whether Ganga can gather enough delegates
necessary for a quorum, the officials said.
African officials said Ganga, who led the African boycott of the
1976 Montreal Olympics, is portraying his case as part of a wider
campaign against Africa.
Of the 24 IOC members implicated in the Salt Lake scandal, 12
are Africans. Three of the six facing expulsion are Africans.
But Ganga's contention that Africa is being unfairly singled out
for punishment is not shared by other Africans.
"This is a question of individual members being indicted,"
said Sam Ramsamy, an IOC member who heads the South African
national Olympic committee. "Sadly a number of them come from
Africa. But I and a number of my colleagues don't see it as an
African issue."
Ganga was in Yaounde, Cameroon, headquarters of ANOCA. Attempts
to reach him for comment were not immediately successful. A
spokesman said he was busy in meetings.
Ganga was one of six members ousted by the IOC executive board
last month for alleged ethical misconduct during Salt Lake's
successful bid for he 2002 Winter Games.
One of the six has since resigned, joining three others who quit
previously. But Ganga has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to fight
to clear his name.
The fate of Ganga and others who refuse to resign will be put to
the March assembly, where a two-thirds vote is required to ratify
their expulsions.
Ganga has said he was counting on "at least 40" members of the
IOC to back him at the meeting.
African delegates contacted Wednesday said Ganga had nowhere
near that level of support, and a non-African said several members
would consider resigning if Ganga managed to regain his IOC seat.
Ganga was among 14 members cited for possible violations by the
IOC panel investigating the Salt Lake scandal. Ganga was also
implicated in the subsequent report by the independent Salt Lake
ethics board, which cited an additional 10 IOC members.
The Salt Lake report said the bid committee and organizing
committee spent more than $250,000 on Ganga and his family,
including cash payments, medical care and gifts.
"Many witnesses ... described Mr. Ganga as the IOC member who
took most advantage" of Salt Lake's generosity, the report said.
In a letter to African IOC and Olympic delegates, Ganga said he
would continue to fight his case "despite the heavy pressure
brought to bear on me to make me resign."
Ganga suggested he is the victim of a campaign to "stonewall
and crush me by all means available."
"I do have a clear conscience in this regrettable affair," he
said. "Behind the pretext of the most severe penalty that stands
to be meted out against me because of a few trips, gifts and some
medical treatment looms the iron-clad determination to sacrifice me
in order to safeguard certain vested interests."
A coy of the letter, dated Feb. 16, was obtained by The
Associated Press.
Ganga also included copies of his letters to IOC president Juan
Antonio Samaranch and to the IOC inquiry panel which recommended
his expulsion.
In those documents, Ganga asserts he did nothing wrong in
accepting $70,000 from Salt Lake bid chief Tom Welch, money he
says was intended to help African sports programs.
According to the Salt Lake ethics report, some of the money was
deposited in a joint bank account which Ganga shared with Welch in
Salt Lake City.
"It was agreed that due to the poor banking services in the
Congo, it would be advisable to deposit all cash donations in my
bank account on the understanding that I redistributed same to the
recipient countries through their respective NOCs," Ganga wrote.
Ganga contends the funds were distributed to the national
Olympic committees of the Central African Republic ($19,700),
the republic of Congo ($35,714) and Niger ($17,860).
Ganga also defends his acceptance of free medical treatment for
himself and his mother and "some gifts of relative value."
"Mr. Tom Welch never sought to buy my vote," Ganga said. "I
never had the feeling I traded by vote."
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