Following a special executive board meeting convened this week, the Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee (CISNOC) has announced the appointment of Simiona Teiotu as its acting president.

The appointment follows the resignation of previous acting president Romani Katoa from his position as senior vice president of CISNOC, effective immediately, for personal reasons.

Katoa was charged with wilful damage this week and appeared in the Criminal Court on Thursday. He was granted bail and is scheduled to reappear in court next month.

Teiotu, who was elected CISNOC’s vice president in 2023, is also the president of the Cook Islands Rugby Union (CIRU)

He will serve as the acting president until the Annual General Meeting (AGM), anticipated to be held in March. At the AGM, elections will be held for the positions of president and senior vice president of CISNOC.

Teiotu says that work at CISNOC will continue as usual.

“Romani volunteered to step down as senior vice president on Tuesday. We thank him for the good work he has done,” Teiotu said.

In a statement, CISNOC secretary general Keziah Lewis, stated: “This resignation also means that he (Katoa) has concluded his responsibilities as acting president, a role he assumed following the end of Hugh Graham’s term in August (2024).”

“We also thank Simiona Teiotu for taking on this important leadership role, ensuring continuity within our organisation.”

On behalf of CISNOC, Lewis extended their “gratitude” to Katoa for his service and contributions during his tenure and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

At the CISNOC annual general meeting held in 2023, Clee Marsters, Daphne Brown and Mark Short were welcomed as newly appointed vice presidents for a four-year term. Dr Teariki Puni is the other vice president.

Katoa has served as the vice president for Oceania Aquatics and president of the Cook Island Aquatics Federation since 2009. He has been a member of the World Aquatics Bureau since 2019.

He was arrested and charged on Monday in connection with the highly publicised property intrusion incident on Boxing Day 2024. The CCTV footage of the incident at a Parengaru property, shared on social media earlier this month, showed two individuals armed with knives entering the property after 2am on December 26, 2024.

The co-offender, fisherman Poe Poila, also appeared in court on Thursday for the same incident, as well as excess blood alcohol and careless driving charges. Both Katoa and Poila are out on bail.