The position of the Gambian National Olympic Committee (GNOC) is due to be discussed by the IOC's ruling Executive Board at its three-day meeting, which started in Montreux today. 

It follows the forced closure of the GNOC headquarters, Olympic House in Bakau, earlier this year.

Olympic House was reopened briefly in August but the Government in Gambia continued to control who was allowed to enter the building, leading to its IOC autonomy tsar Patrick Hickey ordering them to reopen the House, revoke a travel ban on GNOC staff, and formally recognise Momodou Dibba as GNOC President.

A deadline of October 13 has passed without the situation being resolved.

But in a letter sent to several officials, including Hickey, IOC President Thomas Bach and Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) chief Lassana Palenfo, Johnny Gomez, President of the Gambia Cricket Association, who claims to be a "spokesman for the opposing camp", has strongly criticised this approach.

An extract of the letter sent to IOC President Thomas Bach by the President of The Gambia Cricket Association ©Gambia Cricket Association



Following a meeting between representatives from the Government and the IOC in Lausanne last month which he attended, Gomez, also an executive member of the Africa Cricket Association, labels three specific points about which he registers his "disappointment".

•  "All the four points of discussion put forward by Government in Gambia were not accepted by the IOC.

• "They told us categorically that they will not accept, any Government intervention in matters that concern out athletes, and they are only dealing with the NOC. Have the IOC even sent a mission to the Gambia to establish the facts. No, never. Why?

• "That the GNOC House should be open, this is an insult, because this house was built mostly by local generated funds, and Government have all right to ensure that things are done in accordance with the National Sports Council Act. 'Nothing is settled permanent that is not settled right.'"

Gomez continues in his letter, which insidethegames has a copy of, by expressing "disappointment with the IOC and ANOCA, for not sending somebody to The Gambia for fact finding mission, which they have done to other countries with the same problem".

The Gambia's IOC member Beatrice Allen has also been criticised in the letter ©GNOC



He contrasts the IOC approach to the one adopted by football governing body, FIFA, who appointed a Normalisation Committee to help resolve problems faced by The Gambia Football Federation earlier this year.

Unlike the IOC, Gomez claims, FIFA "travelled to The Gambia and was involved in the entire process of reconciliation".

Singled out criticism is Gambia's IOC member, Beatrice Allen, with Gomez claiming the "question in everybody's mind is what has the IOC member in the Gambia, being doing this past four years".

He added: "She is the first vice-president, from IOC member to First President, holding two positions in the GNOC."

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