OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Tuesday 8.00pm.
SOUTH Africa’s International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Sam Ramsamy said on Tuesday he is ashamed that four Africans were among the six IOC members suspended in the votes-for-favours scandal.
“I view the IOC membership as a total entity – not a continental grouping,” Ramsamy said. “On the other hand, I am an African and I feel ashamed that Africans are listed in this issue.”
Four Africans – Jean-Claude Ganga of the Congo, Zein El Abdin Abdel Gadir of Sudan, Lamine Keita of Mali and Charles Nderitu Mukora of Kenya – are among the six officials suspended until a vote on their expulsion at an emergency IOC meeting in March.
Ramsamy, president of the National Olympic Committee of South Africa, said the scandal does not reflect a “continental or national characteristic.”
“As these allegations are against individuals, they cast no aspersions against any country or continent”. South Africa, which lost a bid for the 2004 Olympics, is vying to host the 2006 Football World Cup.
* Meanwhile, the team heading Cape Town’s 2004 Olympic Games bid turned down a number of offers to influence IOC votes, it was revealed in Cape Town on Tuesday. Chris Ball, chief executive of Cape Town’s bid, said several “intermediaries” had approached his team to offer help in influencing IOC votes to designate Olympic hosts, but all were turned down. Ball told the Cape Argus newspaper no inducements or favours were offered to anyone to attempt to secure IOC votes. Cape Town, Stockholm, Rome and Buenos Aires lost out to Athens in the final vote in September 1997.