Samuda to change JOA election rules

President of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), Christopher Samuda, is seeking to change the organisation’s voting guidelines to prevent personal attacks during the election process.

In an interview with The Sunday Gleaner, Samuda declined to name the changes to be implemented but argued that these would be similar to what exists at the international level. The changes will be made before the next election in 2025.

“We don’t encourage the vilification of character and, certainly, come the next election, there are going to be certain things in place to nullify that, or will warn people that you don’t assassinate people’s character.

“What you do, you go on the basis of your own performance and that is something that we are going to ‘culturalise’ and ensure that it is established on the next occasion,” said Samuda, who was involved in a fierce pre-election battle with Alan Beckford for the presidency in 2021.

According to Samuda, who eventually easily defeated Beckford 40-10 at the polls to stay at the helm, the adjustments will also be used to safeguard the JOA against inefficiency and to ensure candidates are suitable and honourable.

“Look at the Supreme Court in the United States. You have to be interrogated by various stakeholders before you are able to pass the test, and that is an element of democracy which I think is quite healthy.

“I think, as a growing organisation, if we really want to establish a professional sports industry, then we have to import those sort of safeguards to ensure that we get the best to serve and that the systems are not at risk,” Samuda said.

GOOD TRACK RECORD

Meanwhile, he was confident that the work put in during his five-year tenure at the helm will stave off a possible challenge at the next election of officers.

“Absolutely,” he responded when quizzed about his confidence in retaining the presidency at the next election. “I say that primarily because I think that the track record has been good.

“The responses of our member associations have been encouraging and, when you offer yourself, you offer yourself with the conviction that you can serve and serve well, and that, of course, is the scenario that I am always sensitive to,” he stated.

He dismissed suggestions that the JOA’s support of non-traditional sports was a political ploy to galvanise his position at the top, and referred to guidelines by the world governing body, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, Thomas Bach, against the practice.

“Politics is not a part of my vocabulary. President Bach has just given several speeches to say that we should not allow politics to become part of sports, whether formally or as we know it to be in civic life or otherwise,” Samuda said.

“So we are not on a political campaign. Our campaign is to inspire the human element, to inspire the human mind and body to do what you will yourselves to do. So politics is not in that for us.

“If investing in smaller sport is politics, then perhaps it is politics.”

job.nelson@gleanerjm.com