News Statement by
Sir Arlington Butler
President
Bahamas Olympic Association
The public in general and those concerned in the sporting community in particular should be made aware that the current, so-called ‘executive’ of The Bahamas Olympic Association (BOA) was unconstitutionally elected and serve in conflict with the governing charter of the International Olympic Committee.
In addition to the fact, already made public by me, that the purported Bahamas Olympic Association election held on Thursday, 6th March, 2008 was itself unconstitutional, there is a majority of supposed executive officers ‘elected’ at that meeting who were not and are not representative of sporting federations. This is an incontrovertible fact, and fatal to any hope of legitimacy.
The charter of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which all parties agree and understand as governing the constitutionality of Olympic Committees around the world, states specifically that there must be a greater number of representatives coming from federations than otherwise. The Bahamas Olympic Association has offended that rule, both by the ‘elections’ and by the make-up of the ‘executive’. Further, a check of The Bahamas Olympic Association’s website, maintained by the so called executive at http://www.bahamasolympic.com/Sports/sports.html will reveal that the sport of wrestling, upon whose membership the current BOA’s legitimacy is partially dependent, is not even listed as a member federation.
These public warnings are important in order that the wider sporting community is not duped into believing and accepting the legitimacy of a group that is quite clearly determined to act in a manner that is not only unbecoming, but also unconstitutional.
I have informed the relevant officials of IOC about this mater and I support any efforts by right thinking individuals within the sporting community to repudiate this destructive behaviour by elements of the BOA
I insist on keeping the record straight.
In the recent dispute about the Bahamas Olympic Committee, will there still be a Bahamian delegation travelling to China for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games?
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