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Ganga trying to keep position in Africa
Posted: Friday May 14, 1999 02:44 PM
LONDON (AP) -- Jean-Claude Ganga is fighting to keep his job as Africa's top Olympic official, even though he's been expelled from the IOC, ousted from his national Olympic committee and shunned by many fellow African sports leaders. Ganga, the former International Olympic Committee member at the heart of the Salt Lake City bribery scandal, has refused to relinquish the presidency of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa. His critics have launched a campaign to force him out. "If Ganga continues to be president of the African Olympic movement, it sends out a very negative message throughout the world," said Sam Ramsamy, head of South Africa's Olympic committee. "I urge all the national Olympic committees of Africa to take a very assertive position and force Ganga to resign." Ganga, of the Republic of Congo, was one of six IOC members expelled in March in the vote-buying case stemming from Salt Lake's winning bid for the 2002 Winter Games. Ganga was cited for receiving more than $200,000 in cash and inducements, far more than any other member implicated in the scandal. In addition to being thrown out of the IOC, Ganga was removed late last month as president of his national Olympic committee. He was replaced by Raymond Ibaca, a former committee head. In another snub, organizers of the All Africa Games -- scheduled to be held in South Africa in September -- announced this week that Ganga had been dropped as a patron. But Ganga has rebuffed demands for his resignation as ANOCA president and taken steps to stifle his opponents. Critics -- including ANOCA general secretary Tomas Sithole of Zimbabwe -- had hoped to secure his ouster at an emergency meeting of the association's executive committee in Lome, Togo, on April 28. But Ganga, who chaired the meeting, pushed through a resolution saying he would "reflect about the future" until the next ANOCA general assembly in November. Ganga also announced that the general assembly, originally scheduled to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in September, would be moved to Lome in November. Ganga's actions have prompted protests from several African countries. Patrick Chamunda, president of the confederation representing 10 southern African national Olympic committees, disassociated himself from the communique issued after the April 28 meeting. Chamunda accused Ganga of manipulating the meeting to divert attention from "his untenable continued position" as ANOCA resident. "The general feeling was that Mr. Ganga should immediately and without delay voluntarily resign his position as president of ANOCA," Chamunda said in a letter to other African officials. "Instead Mr. Ganga chose to procrastinate and defer the decision indefinitely." Chamunda said unless Ganga resigns immediately, he will petition for an emergency ANOCA general assembly to expel him and "put an end to this shameful saga." Attempts to reach Ganga by telephone in Congo, Cameroon and Paris were unsuccessful. As a result of Ganga's case, the IOC is expected to amend its charter to specify that any member expelled from the committee should be banned from holding any leadership position in the Olympic movement. It's unlikely the rule would be applied retroactively against Ganga. "If an athlete is found guilty in one sport, he is suspended from all activities," Ramsamy said. "It should be the same in the Olympic movement. It seems this was an oversight in the first place. It needs to be corrected." Ganga also is a vice president of the global Association of National Olympic Committees, which represents more than 200 countries. His position may come up for review at an executive committee meeting in Paris on Thursday.
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