Nock: National Olympic body sets new election date

IAAF President Seb Coe with Kenya's Paul Tergat shortly before the press conference at Sharaton Hotel, Kampala ahead of IAAF world cross country championship schedulled for Sunday, March 26, 2017.[PHOTO:DENNIS OKEYO/STANDARD]

• Keino is expected to challenge Paul Tergat
• Kenya Table Tennis Association had expressed displeasure in some of the agenda
• National Olympic body sets new election date

Keino expected to vie against former world marathon record holder.

Fresh National Olympic Committee of Kenya elections will be held on September 29.

This was the resolution of Nock's extraordinary assembly meeting yesterday. The meeting also gave current Nock President Kipchoge Keino a lifeline by announcing that members who had initially been locked out of the nominations four months ago are eligible for consideration.

Keino is expected to challenge Paul Tergat, who until yesterday was unopposed for the top position. But the decision to accept fresh nominations is likely to put the body in trouble with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Last month, the International Olympic Committee said the nomination process should not be revisited and should proceed from the point of adjournment on May 4.

However, Nock vice chairman Ben Ekumbo insisted they have a right to change the rules.

“The extraordinary meeting is the highest decision-making organ of Nock and has a right to change any rules pertaining to the elections. In doing so, we have invoked Article 76 of our constitution, which IOC is well aware of,” he said.

Ekumbo added that the committee would meet with the Centre for Multiparty Democracy to agree on the electoral rules.

He said 20 federations would take part in the elections and urged those with court cases to expedite them before the election date.

“We ask that any cases be fast-tracked before that day,” he said. The resolutions of yesterday’s meeting are a big win for the current officials, who seem to have outwitted their opponents.

Before the meeting, there had been attempts by some affiliates to have the agenda restricted to only the election date.

The Kenya Table Tennis Association had expressed displeasure in some of the agenda.

However, it seems the group affiliated with Paul Tergat was not able to gather enough numbers to shoot down some of the agenda they were uncomfortable with.

Yesterday’s meeting was held four months after Nock elections aborted. This is after the Kenya Taekwondo Association obtained a court order stopping the polls after they were blocked from taking part.

The International Olympic Committee put pressure on Nock to come up with an election date, insisting the process must conclude by the end of this month. The IOC has showed its displeasure with the process.