Prof Dodoo pledges to heal GOC rift

Accra, Oct 30, GNA- President-elect of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Professor Francis Dodoo has promised to heal the rift within the movement following two years of acrimonious impasse.

Prof Dodoo was in the early hours of Sunday elected as the successor to Benson Tongo Baba for the next four years and he tells the GNA Sports healing the rift that almost marred the Elective General Assembly remains his board’s priority.

“One thing that today has taught us is the need to heal the rift that exists among us. We plan to use this mandate to execute that and take care of all responsibility and work with all stakeholders to ensure success.”

He said his administration would accord the previous executive the maximum respect as both sides’ ready to fashion out the transfer of power in the ensuing days.

The President-elect said his administrations was fully aware of the magnitude of work at their disposal as Ghana prepares to join the rest of the world for the quadrennial Olympic Games slated for London in 2012.

“We know there are a lot of work to be done between now and the London 2012 Olympics and the short time we have to do that. However, we take this mandate very seriously and know our role, which is to serve.”

“We will work hard to prove that everything that happened here today was worth it and ensure that the youth of this country become the ultimate winners.”

Prof Dodoo in a touching tribute to the out-gone president said “I want to thank Mr Baba for his magnanimity though it has been a fractious and difficult two and a half years journey. I promise to accord the old executive with every respect to ensure a smooth take off.”

The President hinted that his board will confer on Mr. Baba, the GOC honorary president, a novelty in the annals of the movement.

Prof Dodoo was elected after 19hours of drama at the congress which was almost marred by disagreement over the elective process.

He won the election fending off challenge from Kojo Adu Asare and Emile Missodiy after he pulled 38 as against two and zero votes by the duo respectively.

The Congress, which elected new executive members of the GOC was the second for Ghana in two years following the abortive elections held in 2009 that plunged the movement into turmoil.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) in August lifted a year ban on Ghana after the passage of the Sports Bill, by Parliament, an issue the global outfit ranked as a condition for the lifting of the ban to pave way for the Congress.

In July, a meeting involving officials from the IOC, the government of Ghana and the GOC led by Mr Baba held in Lausanne, Switzerland, saw the IOC instructing Ghana to pass the Bill and willed the latter to facilitate a Congress within eight weeks.

The passage of the Sports Bill, which ranked high on the roadmap of the international body, was to bring Ghana’s regulation in conformity with the IOC’s.

Ghana was suspended following concerns with the country’s sports law, which the IOC found incompatible with the principles and rules of the Olympic Charter and what the global body deemed as a lack of commitment to revising the sports legislation before the end of 2010.