GOC’s congress hit by injunction

The Ghana Olympic Committee’s annual congress scheduled for Saturday, July 23 2016, has been injuncted by a High Court in Accra.

The congress was to discuss issues relevant to the development of sports in the country.

Also on the agenda of the highest decision-making body of the GOC include the Report of the President of the GOC; Report of Auditors; Consideration of Audited Reports (2015), the Discharge of Executive Board; Appointment of Auditor for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, among others.

Over 30 National Associations affiliated to the GOC were expected to participate in the congress. But one of its affiliates, Ghana Weightlifting Federation who felt the congress was being illegally organized went to court praying it to stop the congress.

In a writ filed on Friday, July 22 2016, the Federation cited the Ghana Olympic Committee, President of GOC Prof. Francis Dodoo and Richard Akpokavie as the defendants.

According to the plaintiff, the GOC is not supposed to hold any congress before the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next week. It therefore sought “A declaration that by the resolution of the Congress of the 1st Defendant dated 2nd November 2013, signed by the 2nd and 3rd Defendants herein, which extended the mandate of the Executive Board of the 1st Defendant until the General Assembly immediately after the next Olympiad in 2016 the Defendants are bound to hold congress only after the Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.

“…An order restraining the Defendants from holding any other congress in 2016 save the General Assembly immediately after the Rio 2016 Games in Brazil as resolved by the congress on 2nd November 2013.”

Though 3news.com gathered that the court granted the injunction stopping today’s congress, the defendants were elusive on Friday when the plaintiff tried to serve them with the notice.