ATR First: Government Could Resolve Hellenic Olympic Committee Elections

(ATR) The IOC tells Around the Rings it supports a proposed solution to Hellenic Olympic Committee elections through the appointment of an independent judge.

HOC elections from earlier this year were thrown out by a judge after numerous federation leaders withdrew before the vote.Incumbent Spyros Capralos originally won re-election for a third term with 14 votes, but a judge annulled the meeting.

The dispute stems from the eligibility of two Greek sport federations, climbing and karate. A court ruling annulled the election saying the federations "had a legitimate interest to appeal" the election results having been invited to participate despite no prior approval.

The results were marred due to the sudden hospitalization of challenger Isidoros Kouvelos just before the election. Without the presence of Kouvelos, honorary IOC member Lambis Nikolaou, according to the court ruling, attempted to postpone the election. The calls were ignored with the remaining federations voting for Capralos.

Statues from the HOC say that only a senior Greek IOC member can call new elections. When Nikolaou retired in 2015 at the age of 80, it left Greece without an IOC member for the first time. Nikolaou, who remains an honorary member, is the only one able to call an election.

A source close to Nikolaou told ATR that he "does not want to participate" in the dispute unless both sides can come to a compromise. ATR understands that Capralos has been keen to call new elections right away, while Kouvelos wants a ruling on the invited sports federations to be sorted out before a vote occurs.

The IOC previously said it was reviewing the situation and made no statements about how to proceed. A spokesperson told ATR that the Greek Ministry of Sports "proposed a constructive solution" to solve the legal impasse. A new law proposed to the parliament would allow for an independent judge to preside over the elections.ATR understands the proposal has support from within the HOC given Nikolaou’s reluctance to call elections.

Despite interjection from the Greek parliament, the IOC remains steadfast that such a solution would not constitute a breach of NOC autonomy.

"The IOC made it clear that this solution cannot be viewed as government interference, but should rather be considered as constructive support offered by the government, in these extraordinary circumstances," an IOC spokesperson said. "The intention is to resolve this situation quickly, in the sole interest of the Olympic Movement and the athletes in Greece, and that the election process be conducted in an independent and neutral manner."

ATR understands that Kouvelos believes whoever presides over the elections is "of secondary importance". According to those close to him, Kouvelos believes that the judge should examine the status of all the HOC members’ nomination for possible legal impediment in their status. No pressure has been exerted by the IOC on the situation, but a fine line needs to be walked to make sure autonomy is maintained.

An IOC spokesperson said that after elections a review must be done immediately to insure the situation is not repeated.

"It has been agreed also that, once this election process is completed, the current legal status of the NOC in Greece will be reviewed with the NOC and the IOC, so that the NOC Statutes can be definitively separated from the law and can be revised together with the IOC to avoid any similar issues in the future," the spokesperson said.

The HOC is most importantly responsible for coordinating the beginnings of the Olympic Torch Relay. The PyeongChang 2018 Torch lighting ceremony will begin on Oct. 24. Traditionally the relay begins in Olympia, Greece with a ceremony staged by the HOC.

Homepage photo: Wikimedia Commons

Written by Aaron Bauer

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