International Olympic Committee suspends Ghana

Accra, Jan. 13, GNA - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended Ghana from its outfit after a long standing feud at the corridors of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC). The decision follows an Executive Board meeting of the IOC held on Thursday, January 13, at the Lausanne, Switzerland. Information gathered by GNA Sports reveals that the IOC was compelled to suspend Ghana after months of fruitless negotiations aimed at seeking solution to the feud at the GOC. According to the information, the government of Ghana also failed to follow agreed steps outlined by the IOC to prevent any form of political interference in the affairs of the GOC. With this development, Ghana will be barred from participating in qualifiers towards the 2011 All Africa Games and 2012 All Africa Games as well as other international Olympic events. The IOC is yet to communicate to officials of the GOC. Benson T. Baba, former President of the GOC told the GNA Sports that he heard of the ban from the media, but is yet to receive any formal letter from the IOC to that effect. He however said he will not be surprised if such an action is taken against Ghana, because, the government failed to follow the road map laid by the IOC when the feud started. The former GOC President said the latest development could have been avoided if the necessary steps were taken to pass the Sports Bill and other requirements outlined by the IOC. Asked whether there is a way out of the ban, he said "that will be a tall order because we have not been faithful to our words. "Issues of credibility will also be at play as we failed to adhere to the directives of the IOC after several promises". He stated. Baba added that Ghana has also not been in good relationship with the IOC due to the pronouncements of the outgoing Minister of Youth and Sports, Ms Akua Sena Dansua as well as her letter to other Commonwealth States seeking their support to boycott IOC events. Ghana becomes the second country to be suspended by the IOC in recent times, after Kuwait was banned last year for political interference. GNA