POSTED: March 24th 2011
NewsUpdate
Moynihan and Hunt barred by LOCOG in escalating row over 2012 cash
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT / Sports Features Communications
LONDON, Mar 25: Tension in the funding row between the British Olympic Assocation and the London 2012 organisers has racheted up with LOCOG's suspension from its board of Lord Moynihan and Andy Hunt.
Moynihan is chairman and Hunt chief executive of the BOA which is hauling LOCOG and the International Olympic Committee before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. LOCOG, chaired by Lord Coe, has invited the BOA to nominate replacements until the case is resolved.
The BOA is entitled to 20pc of any surplus from London 2012 and wants its share to be paid before the Paralympics are taken into account. LOCOG claims that a financial division must wait until after the Paralympics which the BOA expects to run at a loss.
This storm could hardly have come at more embarrassing time, immediately after the fanfare over the opening of the sale of tickets to the public.
A LOCOG spokeswoman said: "Colin Moynihan and Andy Hunt remain directors [but] LOCOG has decided to exclude them from board meetings whilst they are individually and actively involved in pursuing a dispute against LOCOG. Both have been invited to send alternate representatives to board meetings.
"The BOA is ably represented on the board by the Princess Royal, Sir Craig Reedie, Sir Philip Craven and Adam Pengilly."
Primary responsibility
The BOA said it would not be taking tit-for-tat action, adding: "We continue to welcome British International Olympic Committee members, all of whom are LOCOG directors, and their contributions in the interests of the athletes and the success of the Games. This decision by LOCOG will have no bearing on our primary responsibility, which is to prepare Team GB for the London 2012 Olympic Games."
Simultaneously, the BOA has come under attack from the International Paralympic Committee's chief executive, Xavier Gonzalez in a letter to a number of newspaper sports editors.
Gonzalez insisted that the Paralympics, rather than making a loss, could make a profit of around £10m which, if borne out, would have made the CAS dispute pointless. In that case the BOA would make more money by combining its share of a combined surplus for the Olympics and Paralympics.
Gonzalez wrote: "In 2005 the vision for London 2012 was for one festival of sport, with an integrated Olympic and Paralympic Games, underpinned by a single budget. It is very disappointing that this vision is being undermined by the BOA."
On Wednesday Lord Moynihan told a BOA board meeting that he was determined to press on with the CAS action despite concerns that he is damaging crucial relationships within the Olympic movement. The BBC has claimed that he will face a vote of no confidence if CAS rules against the BOA.
Keywords · London 2012 · BOA · LOCOG · CAS · Moynihan · Hunt
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