CAIRO: The Egyptian Olympic Committee's (EOC) extraordinary general assembly postponed its elections pending the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) approval on the new charter. The elections were originally scheduled for May 15. "We didn't have a choice but to postpone the elections, otherwise it would have been condemned by the IOC, Khaled Zein El-Din, general secretary of the EOC, told Daily News Egypt. Egypt runs the risk of suspension from participation in Olympic sports competitions if the IOC decides it has violated the Olympic charter. The IOC had issued a warning to the EOC on April 24, referring to 29 remarks on the new executive statute of EOC, all of which have been ignored in the draft copy dated March 12. The IOC said in its letter that it won't approve the elections unless it approves the statute, which is to be later ratified by the general assembly. Most of the 29 remarks refer to procedural issues, which were resolved in the EOC meeting on May 15. Zein El-Din noted, however, that five main points in the EOC statute need to be amended in order for the IOC to approve the elections. He said that officials at the IOC headquarters in Switzerland highlighted some of the changes that need to be implemented during a meeting with EOC officials on May 12. The IOC stipulated that its members in Egypt be granted the right to vote during the EOC general assembly without conditions or waiting periods. It also specified that an EOC member who served for two terms may be reelected as an executive board member only after a minimum period of four years has elapsed. Moreover, should a candidate be elected to the EOC executive board, they should immediately leave their position at their respective sports federation. This candidate in question should also meet standard requirements to be eligible. Finally, the IOC recommended keeping the vice president and secretary general positions unless there are specific reasons to eliminate them. On the EOC's part, Zein El-Din said that it has recognized the importance of keeping these positions, which were eliminated from all Egyptian sports federations. Zein El-Din also said the EOC plans on modifying the provision with regards to the right of IOC members to vote, which is noncompliant with the Egyptian law. Two IOC members in Egypt weren't granted the right to vote under the contested statute because they were also members of the EOC's general assembly, which would give them the right to vote twice. Zein El-Din added that the EOC will negotiate the contested remarks with the IOC. He explained once the written explanations are sent, the IOC can then approve or disapprove the EOC statute ensuring the full compliance with the Olympic Charter (OC). The OC serves mainly as the IOC binding law, and is often referred to should any Olympic conflicts occur. It also defines the role of the National Olympic Committee (NOC), particularly to ensure the observance of the OC to help protect and promote the Olympics around the world. "Our extraordinary meeting would remain open, up until the IOC finally approves the EOC statute, which is a prerequisite to stage the EOC elections, Mounir Thabet, president of the EOC, told Daily News Egypt. Thabet said that he is confident that all pending issues would be finalized for the elections to be held accordingly following the final approval by the IOC, all of which would be carried out before July 29, their set deadline. Mahmoud Shokry, member of the EOC, said that within two weeks, the EOC would send the written explanations with the revised draft. "If our explanations are disapproved, we would amend the statute in accordance with the IOC remarks to fully comply with the OC, to ensure valid elections, he said. Thabet noted that if the situation remains unresolved, the IOC has the right to postpone the elections for a year, consequently extending the term of the current board for another year. This would eliminate any threats of EOC suspension, at least for this year.
