The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

HEADED once again by Wellington Miller, the Bahamas Olympic Committee elected a new executive board at the Police headquarters on Friday night.

However, three incumbent members walked out, expressing their disgust with the manner in which the entire process was carried out by presiding officer Fred Sturrup.

“Obviously, the elections were ambushed, but the federation still voted and they voted in favour of Mr Miller,” said immediate past treasurer Larry Wilson, who challenged Miller for the top spot only to eventually lose 10-3 after he walked out with incumbent vice president David “Stretch” Morley and incumbent assistant treasurer Diane Miller.

“I wished them all the best. Like I told them, I have no problem with a transitional period, working with them just to get things in order before they take over. But it is what it is. I don’t think there are any losers tonight. I only accepted the nomination for president after Anton Sealy declined. The federations made their decisions. I’m fine with it,” said Wilson.

Morley, who was just as irate in the proceedings, said the BOC ran a “kangaroo court” in electing the new board. The board is comprised of the following: president - Wellington Miller; vice presidents - Roy Colebrooke, Iram Lewis, Cora Hepburn, Derron Donaldson, Joseph “Joe Mo” Smith and Robert Butler; secretary general - Romell Knowles, assistant secretary general - Kathryn Dillette; treasurer - Darcy Rahming and assistant treasurer - Clarence Rolle.

“It’s a terrible situation, I don’t think Fred Sturrup should have been allowed to conduct the meeting,” Morley said. “He’s a commissioner on the Boxing Commission. What he did tonight was wrong. I’ve been on the FIBA Congress and I’ve never seen an electoral meeting conducted the way it was done tonight. This is the worse meeting that I’ve attended. I withdrew (from running for one of the vice president positions) and he didn’t invite the body to re-vote.

“I think if you can’t accept the treasurer’s report because it’s not audited, then you can’t have an election. According to our constitution, the treasurer’s report should be audited. So I don’t understand how the IOC representative (Richard Peterkin) could sit here and allow this to happen.”

Morley said there’s no wonder why the country is going through its crisis. “We’re talking about why the young people are doing this and doing that. We’re not setting any example for them,” Morley said.

Diane Miller, the outgoing assistant treasurer, said Sturrup should have never been invited to chair the meeting.

“The president should have called this electoral meeting to order and he didn’t do that. A number presented a motion for the treasurer to read his report and I seconded it and the chair refused to put that motion to a discussion and to a vote,” Miller said.

“I felt the IOC rep should have intervened.

“Even Dr Davis could have said something. They could have taken a meeting outside, come back and put it to a vote. There is no way president Miller should not have called the meeting to order.”

In response, Sturrup said he was invited to conduct the meeting by Miller and while the treasurer’s report was tabled, he didn’t entertain it because it wasn’t on the agenda.

Peterkin, a IOC member from Saint Lucia, said he was only attending the meeting as an observer and he offered his comments at the conclusion of the elections as he congratulated Miller and the new executive team as they now prepare for the next four years in office.

He did suggest that the BOC provide an audited report for their annual general meeting so as to avoid the crisis that they were faced with, especially considering that there is going to be much more money being provided to all of the national Olympic committees from the IOC in the run up to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.