– GOA General Council moves to add an age limit of 70

THE current president of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), Kalam Juman-Yassin’s plea fell on deaf ears last evening, as the General Council voted in favour of an International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommendation in its new constitution for an age limit of 70 for severing members of its Executive Committee.

Yassin, 75, a former Chief Magistrate, was seeking another term at the helm of the GOA despite serving in the capacity since 1996.

The country’s longest-serving sports administrator at yesterday’s Special General Meeting which was called for the ratification of the new constitution, sought to overly emphasise his notion that the IOC’s inclusion of an age limit was not in keeping with the best practices of Olympic Committees globally.

However, after much deliberation and exchanges, 29 associations voted in favour of the age limit, while 13 opposed it.

Yassin, after last evening’s proceedings, accepted the council’s decision.

Meanwhile, the GOA will now have its finances audited, after which elections will be held. Chronicle Sport was reliably informed that elections can be held within two months.

In May, Chronicle Sport had reported that Yassin was at odds with his executive committee members on several issues related to the important sports institution.

In response to a letter sent by Yassin to members of the GOA (associations) on April 29, the executive members collectively chastised Yassin for what they considered an attack on some of the officials, the GOA’s proposed new constitution and several other wide-ranging matters that are considered imperative to the good governance of the institution.

The letter in response to Yassin’s April 29 missive, seen by Chronicle Sport, pointed out that the new Constitution was drafted by a committee and then sent to the IOC for their comments.

Jerome Poivey, the IOC’s Associate Director, Institutional Relations and Governance of the NOC Relations Department, said he had carefully examined the GOA’s draft given the Olympic Charter and the basic principles of good governance.

The Executive Committee Members said all of Poivey’s recommendations which were based on the Olympic Charter were accepted, with one exception – the GOA president.

Despite this, the executive members of the GOA said they remain committed to doing all that they were elected to do and will support the president in any decision or initiative that follows the principles of good governance.