GOC, weightlifting boss set for showdown
The Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) is set for a legal battle with the Ghana Weightlifting Federation (GWF) on July 28 at the Accra High Court as they seek to overturn an interlocutory injunction placed on their annual Congress.
Advertisement
The GOC were officially served with the writ of summons and an application for interlocutory by GWF injunction last Saturday before their abortive Congress at the Theodosia Okoh Stadium in Accra.
The defendants named in the suit filed by the president of the plaintiff federation, Ben Nunoo Mensah, are the GOC (first respondent), its president, Prof Francis Dodoo (second respondent) as well as its General Secretary, Richard Akpokavie (third respondent).
According to the Mr Akpokavie, his outfit would soon file their defence and contest the suit to the best of their ability.
He hinted that the GOC is likely to argue that "even if we are wrong in calling congress, the best forum to determine that is congress."
"By virtue of these documents, we consider that it is to respect the court and to wait for the court to determine exactly whether what we are doing or what we have done today is proper or not to allow the court to take its course.
"It is every man's right to go to court even though I think that we must exhaust the avenues for redress within the GOC but that is a choice we make individually.
"I can assure you that we will file our papers and we will contest this matter to the best of our ability," noted Mr Akpokavie, a legal practitioner.
"Because, it is our contention that even if we are wrong in calling Congress, the best forum to determine that is Congress. We will file our processes in court, annswering each allegation that they have made."
The reliefs being sought by the plaintiffs are a declaration that the defendants are bound to hold congress only after the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, an order setting aside the notice of congress dated June 22 and an order restraining the defendant from holding any other congress in 2016 save the General Assembly immediately after the Olympic Games.