Hendricks still sidelined as Sascoc investigation continues

Despite winning an arbitration battle this week, SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) vice-president Barry Hendricks remains suspended, the organisation has confirmed.

Tennis South Africa (TSA) board member Ntambi Ravele claimed earlier this year that Hendricks and TSA president Gavin Crookes had conspired to block her nomination for the Sascoc presidency.

The Olympic body subsequently facilitated an arbitration hearing, suspending Hendricks as acting Sascoc president and referring allegations regarding his ethical conduct to its judicial body.

In the arbitration award, which was handed down this week, Hendricks and Crookes were cleared of attempting to block Ravele’s nomination.

“The outcome was that Ms Ravele’s complaint of a conspiracy was found not to be substantiated by the evidence,” Sascoc confirmed.

While Sascoc said its attorneys (who had since been sacked) had exceeded their mandate without the Olympic body’s knowledge, and Ravele claimed the arbitration process was flawed, Hendricks argued that the award should be handed down.

Claiming it did not want to take the matter to court, as it was not involved in the dispute and “merely facilitated” the arbitration proceedings, Sascoc said it would accept the outcome.

Hendricks, however, remained suspended as the investigation into his conduct had not yet been concluded.

“The board has been advised by the judicial body that it is considering the award in relation to the investigation into the conduct of Mr Hendricks and has undertaken to report to the board by
the weekend,” Sascoc said.

After being suspended, Hendricks had called for the Sascoc board to be dissolved, and for an independent administrator to be appointed to lead the organisation until elections could be held.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had since appointed former IOC member Sam Ramsamy to oversee the election process.

Elections for the vacant Sascoc president’s post were scheduled to be held in March, but they had been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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