BY BOCKARIE ALLIEU (232news.com)
The Sierra Leone Cycling Association over the weekend finally elect a new executive body to run the affairs of the association for four years.
The outgoing executive members were in power for 13 years without organizing congress to update their members or conduction.
According to their constitution, an executive should be in power for 4 years and conduct election to elect a new executive body.
Besides election the constitution also states that the executive should organize ordinary congress to update its members on their activities, future plans and give financial reports.
The outgoing executive flout their constitution after failing to conduct election and hold on power for 13 years. During the impasse, the president of the association Winston DC Crowther resigned and form another association.
The Secretary-General Curtis Johnson took over as an acting president and also failed to hold Congress until when the NOC executive intervened.
All these years, the association was under ban by the Africa and the World Cycling Federations. Because of this, they were not taking part in any international competitions and other activities.
They were not getting any financial benefit from NOC and the international Cycling bodies. When Prince Sualley was elected as the NOC President his first promise was that he will make sure he settles all impasse in the various Olympic sporting disciplines.
His first step was to call on the Cycling executive to a meeting at his Howe Street office in Freetown. In the meeting, he told them he wants to hold a meeting with the entire membership of the Cycling Association to resolve the 13 years impasse.
They agreed on a date to meet with the members at the OlymAfrica Center at Godrich in Freetown. The meeting with the members was also graced by a representative from CAC. In the meeting, the members agreed to select ten clubs that will provide three members each to vote for the various positions. They also agreed on the 17th June 2023 to elect a new executive to run the affairs of the club for four years.
The members also agreed that the congress should not be like the normal congress as such there will be no financial statement on that day.
The election finally took place on this past Saturday 17 June at the same venue at Godrich after long deliberations. On the day of the election, the issue of who should vote came in with former Secretary General Curtis saying he has a list of over 100 delegates whom he said should also vote.
But the NOC President Prince Sualley stood firm that they should go strictly by what they agreed on in the first meeting which should be 30 delegates and nothing more than that.
But they later agreed to let the executive members also vote. As per their constitution, they voted for the president and eight executive members who will form the executive body to run the Cycling affairs for four years.
In the election three candidates contested for the presidential position. Among them was Mohamed CD Kamara who pooled 18 votes out of 37 votes, the former Assistant Secretary-General pooled 13 votes and Ekundayo Vincent with 6 votes. Mohamed CD Kamara was pronounced as the president-elect for the association. The delegates out of 20 candidates also voted for Isata Mondeh, Sinneh Mansaray, Shadrack Williams, Bernard Turay, Mohamed Ben Conteh, Alimamy TM Sesay, Saimon Alimamy Bangura, and Anthony M Bangura.
The elected members will meet today at the NOC Headquarters to decide the positions they give to the 8 elected members.
