By Neto Baptiste
The adopting of a new constitution by the National Olympic Committee (NOC) will limit elected members, including presidents, to a three-term limit.
The document, which was reportedly ratified during the body’s last AGM held earlier this year, also imposes an age limit on potential candidates.
President of the NOC, EP Chet Greene, welcomed the new regulations.
“The constitution speaks to a term limit for presidents and the term limits will now begin with this upcoming elections, so no terms previously served will be a part of that mandate so if Chet Greene goes up for the presidency of the NOC in 2021 then he has the possibility of serving no more than three more terms in office,” he said.
“It also speaks to the age at which people would have to vacate the positions as persons over the age of 70 cannot be elected again; if you look at the whole sporting structure globally, you would realize it would take some amount of energy to do this thing. The international norm now is age 70, and if you look at the IOC, it applies at the very top level of the organisation and so we are just simply putting these things in place,” he added.
Greene, who has already served three four-year terms, said he will be seeking re-election when elections are held this year.
“Once the people, my team and the membership, requires my service then why not? I still think I am somewhere in the prime of my life and my understanding of global sports and the realities of global sports, and the needs of Antigua and Barbuda, and some of which I would have explained when I came on this programme, would render me a formidable and deserving candidate,” Greene said.
He also hinted that the body’s electoral congress could be held in November this year.
In the NOC’s 2018 election, Greene defeated lone challenger Dr. Philmore Benjamin by a vote of 22 to 14. Neil Cochrane was elected first vice president with Phillip Isaac as second vice president. Thomas Greenaway was elected third vice president while Yolanda Samuel was elected treasurer.
Franklyn Braithwaite, Karen Joseph, Leonard Mussington, Charles Bellot, Jo-Ann Small, Daryll Matthew and Fitzroy Quinland were all elected floor members.