Olympic Committee boss backs words with action
Getting off to a decisive start since being appointed president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) just weeks ago, Minos Kyriakou has abolished four recently established national federations. All four were deemed illegitimate after being examined by a legal committee set up by Kyriakos. The four federations – for ice skating, bobsled, luge and curling – founded as offshoots of an umbrella federation governing ice sports, led to politically based bickering between board members ahead of last month’s elections for a new HOC chief. The main opposition PASOK party accused the government of justifying the establishment of all four federations to maximize control of the HOC’s executive committee. The right to vote at HOC elections, held every four years, is reserved for federation presidents, the HOC president and IOC members. Officials affiliated with the governing New Democracy party had assumed the top posts at all four new federations. In response, most voters affiliated with main opposition PASOK refused to take part in the HOC’s elections after arguing that the four federations were founded and led by New Democracy-affiliated officials to secure more votes for greater control of the HOC’s executive committee. The elections were postponed for a week later, in mid-February, and held successfully after the chiefs of the four controversial federation chose to not participate. Kyriakou, a shipowner and owner of Antenna TV and radio – as well as an International Athletics Federation (IAAF) member – was eventually overwhelmingly elected as the HOC’s new chief. Prior to the elections, Kyriakou’s predecessor, Lambis Nicolaou, a PASOK-affiliated official who served as the committee’s chief between 1985 and 1993, and was then re-elected in 1997, prompted an IOC investigation into the issue after reporting violations in a letter to IOC President Jacques Rogge. The probe was led by IOC Director of National Olympic Committees Pete Miro. Kyriakou said Miro had harsh words to say about the politically motivated practices adopted ahead of the HOC elections. Miro, who stressed that regulations were violated for the establishment of the four federations, «made me feel bad to be a Greek,» Kyriakou said. The IOC official added that similar cases had been encountered in Turkey, Thailand, Lebanon and some African nations.
