The NOCU revealed that Volodymyr Gerashchenko (pictured top), the general secretary and second highest-ranking official on the 149-member body, stepped down after an emergency meeting last Friday (May 25) inititated by President Sergey Bubka, who flew home early from the SportAccord Convention in Quebec City to deal with the crisis.

It added that an investigating panel had been set up to probe the allegations, which stem from a BBC report which said that Gerashchenko had offered to sell up to 100 tickets for the Games to a undercover television reporter. 

Gerashchenko, the 65-year-old who had been in his post since 1997, has vowed to co-operate with the independent investigation commission after tendering his resignation, however.

"The Ukraine National Olympic Committee takes accusations very seriously and that is why we have acted so swiftly to address the recent BBC reports," said Bubka (pictured below, behind Gerashchenko).


The independent investigation commission is to be headed by Sergiy Kozyakov, a lawyer who is member of Academic Council of the Kyiv national university named after Taras Shevchenko.

It will also include Olga Zhukovska, the vice-president of the Union of Attorneys of Ukraine and a member of UEFA Appellate Committee, and Valentyn Zagariya, head of the Judicial League of Ukraine.

"The Ukraine NOC is an independent non-Governmental organisation working openly and in accordance with the highest ethical principles and it is committed to putting every effort into investigating this issue," the statement added. 

"Following the completion of the independent investigation commission, the Ukrainian NOC will then inform all interested parties of the results of the investigation."

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