The Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) Extra Ordinary Assembly gets underway on Saturday morning at the Kati Kati Restaurant in Kampala, following the dismissal of an application seeking to block the event.
Court on Friday dismissed the application by UOC’s suspended President Roger Hans Ddungu for the Assembly to be put-off.
UOC Secretary General Penninah Kabenge says they are set for the Assembly adding that everyone should come with open minds to represent sportsmen and women.
Following the internal squabbles in the UOC, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) also advised that the Assembly takes place so that some of the existing problems are handled and solved internally.
The Assembly among other things will discuss preparations for the forth coming London Olympics in July, the amendment of the UOC constitution and the internal rift at UOC.
Meanwhile, URN has also learnt that Retired Supreme Court Judge George Kanyeihamba, the man Ddungu had picked to head a Probe Committee that other UOC executive members rejected, has written a letter to the IOC to try and save Ddungu, but failed.
The letter written on May 16 and addressed to Pere Miro, the IOC National Olympic Committee Relations Director and copied to the Sports Minister Charles Bakkabulindi, Ddungu himself and the UOC Vice President (Administration) William Blick, was titled Crisis in Uganda Olympic Committee.
In the letter, Kanyeihamba explains that the President of UOC appointed him to chair a body to investigate and report on the issues seriously affecting the management and image of the Olympics in Uganda. He says he acted correctly in accordance with the IOC Charter and the UOC Constitution. He adds that the tribunal has been working continuously for nine days and is ready to hand over its report on Wednesday next week.
The letter goes on to remind the top IOC official that he himself had directed UOC Executive Committee to settle their differences amicably. Instead, Kanyeihamba says, the Chairman and other constitutional officials were expelled illegally from office by other members of the committee who proceeded to forge the signature of the Ag. Secretary and called an extra- ordinary general meeting to be held on the May 19, 2012.
Kanyeihamba further wrote explaining that the grave consequences of these unlawful moves would damage the good names of IOC and UOC. The international Olympics body is yet to reply.
