LAUSANNE: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended Brazil’s Olympic committee and its head Carlos Nuzman, even as investigations into corruption allegations continue against Nuzman and committee director general Leonardo Gryner.
Nuzman was arrested on Thursday and is being investigated as part of a cash-for-votes probe linked to the bid for the 2016 Rio Games. Gryner, the Brazilian committee’s director general, was also arrested on Thursday.
The inquiry – known as Operation Unfair Play, is acting on allegation that Nuzman acted as an intermediary in an alleged $2m (£1.5m) payment to Papa Massata Diack, the son of an influential Senegalese member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 72 year old Nuzman, led the committee from 1995 and headed Rio’s successful bid to host the 2016 Games.
The IOC, which has frozen all its payments to the body, has meanwhile said that Brazil’s athletes would not be affected and they will continue to be paid. While the IOC in a statement says Carlos Nuzman has been withdrawn from the Coordination Commission for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Brazilian players will also still be allowed to compete in the Winter Games in South Korea in February and Olympic scholarships to Brazilian athletes will continue to be paid.
While both Nuzman and Gryner have denied the allegations, the IOC executive board has said in the statement, “This provisional suspension may be lifted partly or fully when the governance issues of the Organising Committee have been addressed to the satisfaction of the EB.”
IOC statement in full:
The IOC Executive Board (EB) has taken note and discussed the circumstances of the allegations against and the arrest of Mr Carlos Nuzman, in particular concerning the vote for the host city of the Olympic Games by the IOC Session in 2009.
With regard to the status of Mr Carlos Nuzman as an IOC Honorary Member, the EB, following the recommendation of the IOC Ethics Commission (see annex), decides with immediate effect:
To suspend Mr Carlos Nuzman provisionally from all the rights, prerogatives and functions deriving from his quality as an IOC Honorary Member; and
To withdraw Mr Carlos Nuzman from the Coordination Commission for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
With regard to the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB), the EB states that the COB and its President, Carlos Nuzman, were responsible for the candidature of Rio de Janeiro in 2009. Therefore, the EB takes the following decision with immediate effect:
To suspend provisionally the Brazilian Olympic Committee.
According to Rule 59 of the Olympic Charter, provisional suspension in this case means in particular:
Subsidies and payments from the IOC to the COB are frozen.
The COB is not allowed to exercise its membership rights in NOC associations.
To protect the interests of the Brazilian athletes, this decision shall not affect the Brazilian athletes.
Therefore, the IOC will accept a Brazilian Olympic Team in the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 and in all other competitions under the umbrella of the COB with all rights and obligations.
Olympic scholarships to Brazilian athletes will continue to be paid.
This provisional suspension may be lifted partly or fully when the governance issues of the COB have been addressed to the satisfaction of the EB.
With regard to the Rio Organising Committee, the EB notes that Mr Carlos Nuzman since its formation was and still is its President and Mr Leonardo Gryner having worked in the Organising Committee for many years. Therefore, the EB takes the following decision:
The EB states that the IOC closed all its obligations with the Organising Committee in December 2016, as confirmed by the Organising Committee. The IOC and the Olympic Movement’s financial contribution exceeded significantly their contractual obligations, taking into consideration the grave crisis affecting the country.
The EB decides to suspend provisionally all other relations with the Organising Committee.
This provisional suspension may be lifted partly or fully when the governance issues of the Organising Committee have been addressed to the satisfaction of the EB.
The IOC reiterates its full commitment to the protection of the integrity of sport. The IOC will continue to address any issue affecting this integrity under the rules and regulations of its recently reformed governance system. In order to follow up this case properly, the EB asks all judicial authorities to provide the IOC Ethics Commission with all the available information at their earliest convenience. The IOC will continue to fully cooperate with all these judicial authorities. It is in the highest interests of the IOC to be able to fully address such matters concerning an IOC Member or an IOC Honorary Member as soon as possible, in order to protect its reputation as an organisation.
