All systems go for ASA elections

The ad hoc committee was mandated to prepare for elections when it was appointed in February, after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) found ASA had come to a standstill.

The list of nominees for the 10 executive positions has been finalised and released, and the committee is confident the nominations process was successfully completed in line with its mandate and the ASA constitution.

There were a number of nominations that did not comply with the criteria that were set out and these could not be accepted.

The IAAF has been updated throughout the process and IAAF representative Cheikh Thiare has confirmed he will personally attend the Special General Meeting (SGM). An independent electoral officer will also be present to oversee elections and auditors will supervise the counting of votes.

The SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) and Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) will be updated by the committee ahead of elections.

The SGM next Saturday will be chaired by Daan du Toit, the chairman of ad hoc committee. The election of the new ASA board, which will stand until 2016, will be the only matter on the agenda.

Elections were initially scheduled for May 24, but the date clashed with the inauguration of the State President, and it was agreed in consultation with the IAAF, government and Sascoc to postpone the SGM by two weeks.

The IAAF has subsequently extended the ad hoc committee’s mandate to June 30.

“The mandate has been extended to ensure a smooth transition between the interim leadership and the new board,” the statement said.

“If the transition period is completed before June 30, the committee’s mandate will come to an end and the new board will take full control of the federation.”

– Sapa