Africa-Press – Namibia. IT appears that the protracted squabble over who gets to run Namibian gymnastics will be decided by the High Court.
On Tuesday, the national sport appeals committee dismissed Namibian Gymnastics’ (NamGym) executive president Sonja Olivier’s application to have the Namibia Sport Commission (NSC) retract decisions undermining her administration.
These decisions taken at ‘a special board meeting’ on 4 October, are that the Namibia Gymnastics Federation (NGF) is to use its constitution to conduct an elective congress within the stipulated time frame; and that failure to adhere to that instruction will result in the NSC taking drastic action to remedy the situation.
Olivier contests that the decisions were taken at an improperly constituted board meeting called by NSC chief administrator Freddy Mwiya, whose powers do not extend to such matters. Additionally, the decisions were based “on wrong information” from Mwiya who has an insatiable bias towards Olivier, she said.
The appeals body found that “such bias has not been proven”. Regardless, Olivier said Tuesday’s verdict “is if no consequence” and she is confident that the High Court will rule in her favour.
Olivier is suing the Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC), NSC and sport minister Agnes Tjongarero over their roles in the dilapidating discord in gymnastics.
“We will deal with it as part of the High Court case,” said Olivier. The High Court case is at an advanced stage, Mwiya said. “She will lose it as well,” he predicted.
The appeals committee ruled that it was satisfied with the constitution of NSC board meeting of 4 October 2021. Consequently the decisions taken and resolved were above board, as the sport commission acted within its functions and powers, the remedial body said.
Furthermore, the said meeting was not illegally held at Mwiya’s request as Olivier alleged, but at the behest of NSC board chairperson Joel Matheus. Olivier believes the sport commission to be incompetent and flagging in their national responsibility.
In a nutshell, the NSC is tasked with ensuring national sport bodies operate in accordance with the prescribed regulatory framework; ensure that opportunities are made available to all persons throughout Namibia; and determine and award national colours.
Despite not recognising Olivier’s administration, the sport commission “accepted NamGym’s application for national colours of two gymnasts in May 2021 and awarded these gymnasts national colours.”
The sport commission disputes this and claims it only has dealings with the currently disbanded NGF as its affiliate. The NSC maintains that Olivier was elected at an illegal congress on 23 February 2019, a position that the appeals committee appears to have endorsed with its recent ruling.
It is telling that in May, Olivier successfully challenged her suspension by the NSC and the appointment of an interim committee to lead the NGF. The NSC stripped Olivier of her powers and placed the NGF under administration with immediate effect in August last year due to persistent infighting in the gymnastics hierarchy. The sport appeals committee found that move to be unlawful and therefore reversed it.
Olivier maintains that she operates within the provisions of the NGF regulatory framework. She said the NGF held a special general assembly on 28 November 2020, during which the constitution was amended and a name change – from Namibia Gymnastics Federation to Namibian Gymnastics – was enacted. Subsequently, an elective general assembly on 27 March 2021, during which the current executive council was elected to serve for the next four years until the end of December 2025, was held. Despite their counter claims, the NSC and NNOC are fully versed with these developments, Olivier said.
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