Arjuna Ranatunga replies to NOC VP

Arjuna Ranatunga MP has sent us the following response to the article titled "NOC comes clean" which was published in our issue of December 20, 2008. The article in question was a statement by Vice President Deva Henry of the National Olympic Committee (NOC).

It is not understood as to why the President or the Secretary of the NOC did not sign this very important statement, as the President insists on letters from the member Sports Association to the NOC, must be signed by the President and not even by an "acting Vice President".

Henry states, inter alia, that

Quote:

(i) the NOC has a proud history of 70 years and it is considered "(by whom/ "as one of the best NOCs in Asia";

(ii) "the NOC quite emphatically denies these baseless and false allegations made by two Members of Parliament under the cover of their parliamentary privileges";

(iii) "our membership is ever ready to meet any challenges in order to protect the good name of the NOC"; and

(iv) they wish that these two Members of Parliament who have been bold enough to level these unfair and false allegations under cover of Parliamentary Privilege would wish to state them openly, in pubic, we would offer them a 'golden opportunity' to prove these points in the Supreme Court."

These allegations are spelt out as follows:

1. A sum of one million dollars received from the International Olympic Committee (hereinafter referred to as "IOC") has been misappropriated.

2. The money received from the Treasury for the 10th South Asian Games have been improperly utilized.

3. In order to extend the term of office of the office-bearers in the NOC, the former Minister of Sports was misdirected to amend the "Sport Law".

These allegations are said to have been made in Parliament by me and Dimuthu Abeykoon MP of the JVP on 19.11.08 during the Budget Debate and also during the Budget Debate in 2007, and further that I had brought up these allegations at the Public Accounts Committee and Consultative Committee meetings. These allegations are said to be baseless.

Regarding allegation No. 01

This pertains to funds received from persons or organizations for relief to tsunami victims. The Secretary to the President issued a circular to all Secretaries to Ministers on 29.12.2004, conveying the following Presidential orders:

(a) All relief originating from various donor agencies directly and through the Government of Sri Lanka and from abroad for welfare of tsunami victims in cash, should be credited to the National Disaster Relief Fund established by the Government - Finance Act, No. 38 of 1971 also applies."

(b) Henry, in his statement, has given the monies received as follows:

From A. Mendis 3,118.00

From NOC Romania $ 7,926.00

From OCA (Olympic Committee of Asia) $ 10,000.00

From OCA (Olympic Committee of Asia) $ 3,950.00

From NOC Pakistan $ 4,000.00

Total SL Rs. Rs. 3,150,025.90

This is a false statement, as will be seen below:

From this money, Rs. 557,849 had been spent as help for 52 tsunami-affected "sportsmen and women" at a function held at the Sugathadasa Hotel Complex in September 2005, with the then Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Jeevan Kumaratunga as chief guest and distributing the awards Rs. 5 to 15 thousand each. The NOC President, Deva Henry the Vice President, H. U. Silva, Secretary, attended the meeting along with Ministry officials. The balance Rs. 2,542,726 had been credited to the NOC Building Fund.

At the Ordinary General Assembly Meeting of the NOC held at the Sports Hotel on February 24, 2006, when the matter of starting Building operations for the NOC office and Indoor Stadium arose, Vice President Dian Gomes had

stated that certain funds received as tsunami aid had been credited to the Building Fund, and that consent of the donors should be obtained for this purpose. Nobody made any comments!

This is a clear indication that even Presidential Orders and Financial Act, etc. do not mean anything to a Dictator like the NOC President.

At the NOC Committee meeting held on 26.01.05, at the South Asian Games Secretariat, the NOC President had stated that the Olympic Committee of Asia (OCA) had promised $ 10,000 for tsunami relief work; the 'Child and Security', a charity in the UK had obtained gifts amounting to Rs. 550,000 for medical clinics, that the President of the IOC had announced a grant of $ 1 million for tsunami relief to be used. On inquiries by the NOC Secretary, he had been informed that the money was mainly to be used for rebuilding damaged sports facilities. From this $ 1 million, the NOC President stated to those representing various associations that requested assistance, only rupees one million was available for distribution! The NOC President therefore requested that a Committee be appointed to allocate the Rs. 1 million, From $ 1 million there appears only one million rupees left with the NOC, for distribution to needy Sports Associations!!

Where did the balance of well over Rs. 100 million go?

Manilal Fernando, President of the Football Federation stated that FIFA had launched a Fund for $ 2 million and Asia was getting $ 1 million. He stated further that FIFA was due to come to Sri Lanka on 28.02.05, for a meeting to discuss, perhaps FIFA funding, and he invited the NOC President and Secretary General to that meeting. He also said that he had launched a project with Sarvodaya and the Grameen Bank to collect Rs. 130 million. It would be interesting to find out how these moneys were spent.

The NOC President stated that the World Taekwondo Federation was sending $ 2,000 and this would be given to the local Federation to give relief to Taekwondo players.

There had been another donation of Rs. 1,023,699/90 received for tsunami relief by the NOC, accounted for in the Income and Expenditure A/c as at 31.12.05.

The IOC had initially, i.e. on 04.01.2004, announced on its website, the donations of US Dollars 1 million to aid victims, of the Indian Ocean Tsunami. The aid was to be given in two stages $ 70,000 in cash and kind - $ 2,000 in Equipment assistance. The assistance was to be given to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Maldives and Somalia. There is no record in the NOC Accounts of the NOC having received this money.

This needs investigations!. The truth must come out. It is hoped that the NOC will come clean now, as Henry has not disclosed all the monetary aid received for Tsunami relief in his statement. IOC's Leod's Report should have been published.

The NOC Annual Accounts have not been audited. The Financial Statements and Balance Sheets, etc. have been prepared mostly by Carter, De Costa and Co, Chartered Accountants. The Sports Law Regulations clearly state that the Auditor General must audit the Accounts of the NOC and the National Sports Associations (NSAA) registered under the Sports Law, The NSAA Accounts may be audited by a qualified Accountant, but not the NOC accounts.

The NOC and the NSAA are required to maintain returns, accounts, of all receipts and payments, other information in respect of their property and activities, and all other financial transactions. The NOC is also required annually to close the accounts on 31st December each year, and hold the Annual General Meeting (AGM) within three months of the close of the financial year. With the one month's notice of the AGM, the NOC has to send copies of the Minutes of the previous AGM, the Annual Report and Statement of Accounts audited by the Auditor General, and the Audit Report. The NOC has to send a copy of the Minutes of the AGM and of any General Meeting to the Minister of Sports within fourteen days of the date of the meeting.

The "one million dollars" Tsunami question has been discussed in Henry's statement. I have made my statement now, openly, and laid bare what has happened, so that the public will realize the truth viz. whether the statements that the NOC have received only Rs. 3,150,025 as tsunami aid, is acceptable, and if it is not has a punishable offence been committed in breach of the Presidential orders and also the Financial Act. No. 35 of 1971.

Regarding allegation No. 02

10th South Asian Games Festival was to be held in Colombo from 18th to 28th April 2006, with the participation of about 1,700 Athletes from 07 countries in 19 sports. At the Meeting of the NOC Committee held on 15.06.2005, the NOC President had stated that the estimated expenditure for the "Countdown Ceremony" to be held on the 23rd South Asia Olympic Committee was cut down from an extravagant ... 18 million to 3 million by the then Sports Minister!! Rs. 900 million was allocated to the NOC for the Games, receipt of this money is not recorded in the NOC Account.

It was also stated that money was being given to the Sri Lanka Sports Associations for training athletes for the games. At this meeting, it had been decided that SLASU, the National Swimming Association, should not be allowed to send a representative to the NOC as, in the absence of a selected President, an "Acting President" and the Secretary cannot participate. The nominations had to be signed by an "elected" "President". Swimming was one of the most popular competitive sports, and the swimmers were getting training at a special camp. It was the responsibility of the Associations to train their Athletes.

However, an American Coach, brought down from the USA on the orders of the Deputy Minister of Sports, who was in charge of the training of all sportsmen, had to go back, as an extension of his visa was refused by the Sports Ministry Secretary. The expenses incurred were not reimbursed though two cheques for Rs. 3,000,000 had been issued by the previous Secretary, but not delivered to the Actg. President, who had been instructed by the Deputy Minister of Sports who was in charge of training all sportsmen, to obtain the services of the American Coach.

Deva Henry claims that the NOC has a proud history. One may ask-doing what? Duncan White, in 1948, put Ceylon, as we were known then, on the world map by winning a Silver medal, with no assistance from the Ceylon Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (COCGA). When he was selected to go to the Olympics in 1948, he had no coach or a track and hurdles to train on, and no assistance from the COCGA. After him, no Sri Lankan man reached the finals in any sport at the Summer Olympics. It was left to a woman Susanthika Jayasinghe to win a Bronze medal in Athletics again, and thats because she trained for years in the United States, on the initiative of, and funded by, the Sports Ministry and others, and not by the NOC. So much for the "proud history of 70 years" of Deva Henry's NOC, and on that basis they still want to stay in power.

I think it is obsoletely essential that without any further delay, action should be taken to accept Henry's offer of the "golden opportunity to prove the points in the Supreme Court" as no other authority will be able to clean the "Augean stables" of Sports in Sri Lanka, from the Ministry down the Clubs, of maladministration, bribery, corruption and bigotry.

Young people of Sri Lanka, yearn for assistance to participate in clean sports activities and bring glory to the country. For this, the country needs to provide them with facilities, equipment, qualified trainers, coaches, organizers, managers, a leadership and organization structure, from village to national level, and a Political will for achievement of success at elite levels in Competitive Sports as at the Olympics.

Since the Ministry of Sports unfortunately is deaf, dumb and blind, to promote sports it is now up to the Supreme Court to look into these matters, and give directives.

Arjuna Ranatunga