Sport bosses to vote as a bloc to push for real change in OCI
After Rio debacle, head of Swim Ireland is ‘favoured’ candidate to replace Hickey
A GROUP of sporting associations will vote ‘as a bloc’ to ensure candidates determined to introduce major changes will replace Pat Hickey at the helm of the Olympic Council of Ireland.
The news comes as the Olympic Council of Ireland looks set to delay making recommended changes to its leadership structures after their parent body, the International Olympic Council, told them any changes would have to be run by them first.
It has also emerged that such is the level of mistrust within the sporting body – riven with division since Mr Hickey was arrested last August in connection with an alleged ticketing touting scam at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – that voting rules will be discussed at a board meeting of the OCI before the deadline for nominations closes on Wednesday.
Mr Hickey recently travelled back to Ireland after bail of €410,000 was paid to a court in Brazil. He denies any wrongdoing. The OCI’s anti-Hickey faction is made of at least 10 groups including the sailing, athletics, gymnastics and cycling, federations, and they have agreed on a list of candidates for the top jobs after holding a series of meetings, most recently on Friday.
They have chosen Swim Ireland boss Sarah Keane as their favoured candidate for president. She will face current acting president Willie O’Brien, who replaced Pat Hickey. The current OCI honorary general secretary is Dermot Henihan. Mr O’Brien is perceived by many as part of the OCI old guard, while Mr Henihan is seen as a Hickey loyalist. Meanwhile, the anti-Hickey faction is expected to nominate snow sports chief Robert Norwood and Irish Sailing Foundation chairman Colm Barrington for the two vice-presidential roles. Others have been approached to run for positions on the OCI’s executive committee. The group compiled a list of favoured candidates after holding meetings away from OCI headquarters. Elections for a new president, two vice-presidents, and other officials, will be held at an extraordinary general meeting of the OCI on February 9.
A source revealed: ‘The nomination papers have not gone in to the OCI yet but approaches have been made to the people they want to run. The days of saying, “I’ve put so many hours in” are gone.’
An OCI insider added: ‘Anything could happen in the five weeks between nominations and the election. There will be a board meeting early next week. It has to be transparent, with every one going into the EGM knowing about the voting rules.’
A spokesman for the OCI added: ‘At the moment we have three (nominations for President) but I suspect there could be more when nominations close on Wednesday.’
Meanwhile, Deloitte recommendations on changes in governance structures must be reviewed by international Olympic chiefs before they are voted upon by members of the Irish body, the IOC has made clear. IOC official Jérome Poivey, reminded the Irish body that ‘the revised draft of your constitution will have to be sent to the IOC for prior review before it is submitted to your general assembly’.
Changes must be ‘run by’ international chiefs