No letup as NOCK meets today

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) has called for yet another consultative meeting today.

The committee is expected to meet its affiliates in the wake of a threat by the international body.

According to Nock Secretary General Francis Paul, the meeting will discuss a court case filed by Kenya Taekwondo Association, which has stalled the much-awaited elections.

But it is not clear how many affiliates will attend the meeting after some of them vowed not to honour the invitation.

Kenya Table Tennis Association (KTTA) said Nock should instead call for a special meeting.

Chairman Andrew Mudibo also said through a statement that the meeting should only have two agenda - the resignation of the entire Nock board and the appointment of forensic auditors.

“As you are all aware, this matter is in court and discussions on the same will be contempt. We will not be attending any meetings that might seek to rubber stamp decisions.

“We cannot say we are disappointed, but rather say we are not amused with the action taken for calling for such a meeting,” said Mudibo, who praised Nock Second Deputy President Pius Ochieng for resigning.

Swift resolution

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) executive member Nabea Murithi said they would not attend the meeting.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) representative Paul Tergat called for a swift resolution of the impasse, but expressed fears that the country could be banned from the Olympic movement.

“This is a very serious matter and if you read the tone of the letter written by IOC last week, you can see they have lost patience with Kenya and will not hesitate to take action, including banning the country. We must try and resolve the impasse before July 9 and 10, when the IOC board meets,” he said.

Tergat was the sole candidate for the chairman’s post in the aborted Nock elections.

In a strongly worded letter, IOC threatened it would be forced to take further action against Nock during its board meeting in July.

Last week, the IOC said further action could be taken against Kenya for failing to adhere to timelines agreed between itself, the Government and Nock.

The international body also seemed to blame Nock officials for the delayed elections and challenged the association to reveal who was behind the court case filed by Kenya Taekwondo Association.

The matter is scheduled to come up for hearing tomorrow, when the court is supposed to make a decision.