The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) will more than likely not have a new President until next year.
With just three weeks to go before the calendar flips to 2023, the likelihood of the Annual General Meeting and Election of Office bearers of the body being held this year seems improbable.
This is based on the fact that the audit of finances is yet to be completed and following the audit, a 21-day notice must be given to affiliates prior to the electoral process.
“The completion of the audit is near, but it seems more likely that the elections will be held in January 2023” said Vice President of the association, Godfrey Monroe yesterday.
Monroe told this newspaper that, “The constitution provision outlines that you have to notify the affiliate members 21 days before the election and if we are to look at the number of days remaining in the year, including the holidays and so on, I do not think it gives us the amount of time to have that done.”
Monroe added “We have to have the persons who are seeking election to the various offices to provide a pitch to the affiliate members to say why they should be elected and then there is a nomination process that would have to be done prior to the hosting of the election so those processes will have to be completed.”
While the exact date of the election is uncertain, what is unquestionable is that the body will have a new president.
In June, the affiliate associations/federations voted in favour of ratifying its constitution based on the recommendations of its parent body, the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
During the Special General Meeting hosted at Olympic House, the GOA affiliates made a key change to its constitution which now includes in its governance principle to limit the age of executive members to 70 years.
The associations/federation voted 29-13 to implement the age limit capped at three score and 10.
The new rule within its constitution, directly impacted incumbent President K.Juman-Yassin, 76, from running for the top post again. The ratification of the constitution essentially eliminated Juman-Yassin who has been at the helm of the GOA for the past 26 years from being reelected. The GOA’s umbrella bodies will soon determine in large part the direction sports locally will take for the next four years and beyond.
