IOC to unfreeze Nock funds, suspends Noc-Brazil

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has pledged its support for the National Olympic Committee of Kenya and suggested it will unfreeze funding to normalise its operations.

At the same time, the IOC also provisionally suspended Brazil’s national Olympic body over the alleged involvement of its head Carlos Nuzman in a vote-buying scandal.

“Let me assure you of the IOC full support and assistance in this important task. The IOC NOC Relations Department and Olympic Solidarity will liaise with you shortly to review all details with Nock.

“It is now expected that Nock will strengthen its collaboration with the IOC, the national federations, the Government authorities and all other external partners,” IOC President Thomas Bach said in a congratulatory letter to newly Nock President Paul Tergat.

Tergat was elected unopposed as Nock president on September 29, replacing the long-serving Dr. Kipchoge Keino and vowed to unite and restore dignity to the organisation tainted by corruption and mismanagement cases.

“This is the end of a long process initiated a year ago, in agreement between the IOC, the Nock and the Government authorities to resolve the conflict situation that had emerged after the Olympic Games Rio 2016. But this is also a beginning to a new chapter in the Olympic Movement in Kenya.

Nuzman arrested

The international governing body also suspended Nuzman from all his positions, stripped him of his honorary membership and removed him from the coordination committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Nuzman was arrested in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday as part of a probe into allegations he helped buy votes from the IOC to secure Rio’s hosting of the 2016 Games.

The IOC said that “to protect the interests of the Brazilian athletes” the decision had no bearing on the country’s teams.

“Therefore, the IOC will accept a Brazilian Olympic Team in the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018,” it said in a statement.