(ATR) The International Weightlifting Federation will soon begin the process of finding a new president following the resignation of Tamas Ajan.
A source on the IWF executive which spent hours meeting this week by teleconference, tells ATR that the federation faces "a big mess" in cleaning up after Ajan's departure.
Ajan, 81, spent 43 years at the federation, first as secretary general and since 2000 as president. He served ten years on the IOC, stepping down under the age 70 retirement rule.
He was ordered to temporarily relinquish the presidency on January 22 for 90 days while the IWF launched an independent inquiry into issues raised in a documentary by German TV channel ARD. Ajan is accused of diverting funds for the federation into personal bank accounts. He denies the accusations.
Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren and his firm, Global Sport Solutions, were hired in late January to investigate a range of issues the documentary brought forth against the IWF tied to finance, governance and doping control.
Around the Rings is told that McLaren’s initial report will be presented on Monday with a final report expected in June. Originally planned to be completed by now, restrictions on travel due to the corona virus have forced delay on the timetable.
Ursula Papandrea, an IWF vice president and the former president of U.S. Weightlifting, has been serving as acting president since Ajan stepped aside in January. She will continue in that role until a permanent replacement is elected.
"The IWF thanks Tamas Ajan for more than four decades of service to weightlifting, and most notably for his work in recent years to ensure an anti-doping program which meets the standards of the IOC and WADA is in place," said Papandrea in a statement.
"We can now begin the work of determining a fresh path towards achieving the full potential of our sport."
The resignation by Ajan came after a lengthy meeting of the IWF executive, conducted by teleconference. Some on the IWF board believe a decision on Ajan's tenure should wait until the report from McLaren is complete. But Ajan has apparently not followed the orders to remove himself from the daily operations of the federation, based in his hometown of Budapest.
The next general assembly, where a new president could be chosen, is not expected to be held until at least October.
Around the Ringsis told by an IWF insider that with Asia and Europe forming the majority of voters in an election it is difficult for Papandrea or other candidates from the Americas to win a presidential contest. But expect Papandrea to play a significant role in the federation regardless, says the IWF official.
In addition to approving Ajan’s resignation, the IWF Executive Board in online meetings over the past two days also decided that qualifying for Tokyo 2020 will re-open in October and run through April of next year.
Written by Gerard Farekand Ed Hula
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