Ghana's Olympic Committee banned

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday, January 13th, 2011, suspended the Ghanaian National Committee after government failed to take agreed steps to ensure no political interference in the body.
Ghana has thus become the second country to be banned following Kuwait last year, after efforts to ensure the Ghanaian Olympic Committee (GOC) was protected from domestic political involvement failed.
"They are now suspended," the official told Reuters during an IOC Executive Board meeting.
An official announcement is expected later in the day.
Kuwait was suspended on January 1, 2010 for political interference. In the case of Kuwait, the IOC said the country failed to meet a Dec. 31 deadline for amending a law that allows the Gulf state to interfere in elections of sports organizations.
The IOC had been working with Kuwaiti officials since 2007 to resolve the issue.
In a related development, the Vice President of the Ghana Olympic Committee, Mr. Frank Appiah, has confirmed the suspension in an interview with peacefmonline.com. He, however, says though the decision has been communicated to the GOC, his outfit is yet to receive an official email or letter regarding the suspension, but expects it by the close of day.
Per the suspension, Ghanaian athletes and officials are barred from the Olympic Games and Olympic meetings, and the Ghanaian committee will no longer receive any Olympic funding.