Olympic
Committee Elections Around The Corner
By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.
The Liberia National Olympic Committee (LNOC) will go
to the polls this month in Monrovia. The confirmation has been made by
authoritative sources of the LNOC.
Following its last elections of 2001, the date
for the pending elections has been set at April 23, 2005.
It is arguable that all of the incumbent elected
officials, including Mrs. Deborah J. Williams-President,
Attorney-at-Law Sylvester D. Rennie-Vice President for Administration,
Philibert Browne-Vice President for Technical Affairs, S.A. Morris
Kainessie-Secretary-General, Joseph F. Willie-Assistant
Secretary-General and Avenzo Mulbah-Treasurer, are seeking reelections
in their respective positions.
Mrs. Williams hails from the Liberian Women and
Sports Association (LIWASA) while Atty. Rennie and Mr. Browne are from
the Liberia National Swimming Federation (LNSF) and the Liberia
Basketball Federation (LBF) respectively. Messrs. Willie and Mulbah
each represent the Inter-School Sports Association (ISSA) and the
Liberia Volleyball Federation (LVF).
Aside from LNOC President Williams and Vice
President Rennie, the rest of the elected officials will be serving
their last terms if they are to be reelected.
Mrs. Williams was elected Vice President
for Administration in 2001, but when the then LNOC President
Clemenceau Urey was expelled from the body following a vote of no
confidence passed against him in 2003, she was mandated to act on the
throne before being elected to take over as head of the Olympic
Committee while Atty. Rennie took over as Vice President during a
bi-election held during the last LNOC Congress in 2004.
Up to present, there is no news of anyone
wanting to challenge the incumbent leadership of the LNOC with less
than a month to the day of the polls.
The LNOC elections are scheduled to
coincide with the 2005 Congress of the Olympic Committee of Liberia.
It will involve representatives of the various sporting bodies
operating in the country.
Since taking over last year, the current
LNOC leadership has made some achievements. These include the
reopening of the LNOC headquarters which was closed by the former
President Urey, Liberia s participation in the 2004 Olympic Games in
Athens, the holding of the Inter-University Games, won by AME
University and AME Zion University College, and the Anti-Doping
Campaign. The implementation of the Sports and Environment Campaign
and the Symposium on Olympism are among the accomplishments of the
present cream of leaders at the LNOC.
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