Changes forced by financial woes

Changes in the way the Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee (CISNOC) operates are being forced by its financial woes.

CISNOC secretary general Rosie Blake has put her name to a letter to all national sport federations, highlighting imminent changes in the committee which have been resolved by its executive board.

She asks for all federations to ratify the boards resolutions at a special general meeting on or before midday tomorrow.

Executive board members adopted the resolutions at a meeting on Friday.

Blake says due to a lack of government funding, CISNOC has been unable to fund its budgeted commitments for a number of ongoing programmes.These include its national sports policy ($50,000), 2011 Pacific Games preparation ($160,000), Cook Islands and zone games Manea Games ($210,000), games and athlete preparation ($120,000), sports advisory services National Olympic Committee salaries ($50,000), national sports development programmes ($50,000), and the Olympic values programmes ($25,000).

CISNOC management of its 2011 annual budget did not achieve the appropriations of these programme commitments in that the government did not allocate appropriations to sport, other than the POBOC (payments on behalf of the crown) for Allsports fund ($160,000) in the 2011-2012 appropriation act. As a result CISNOC has been unable to fund its budgeted commitments to a number of ongoing programmes, Blakes letter states.

Blake says CISNOC has until now undertaken projects on the proviso that funding will be obtained by reimbursement on completion of a project, or that funding is dependent on third party actions.She says that can no longer continue.

Projects of that nature to date include Robert Grahams Office of Special Education Programmes (OSEP) scholarship projects ($29,000), Chinese coaches for the 2009 Pacific Mini Games (PMG) athlete preparation ($14,000), netball levies for last years Commonwealth Games in Delhi ($4000), the PMG nursery project ($14,000), International Olympic Committee (IOC) marketing programme grants ($36,000), PMG marketing fees ($200,000), and the IOC presidents grant ($10,000).

These receivables total approximately $300,000 and cannot be funded by CISNOC cash flows. This procedure must cease immediately and programmes only proceed when funds have been received into CISNOC accounts, Blake says.

CISNOC is also being restructured.Its secretary general position is being professionalised, a national sports policy act of parliament is proposed, sport development programmes will be implemented in partnership with the sport ministry, and a new sport venue entity is proposed with management by the ministry and institute of sports excellence.

The IOC has been asked to fund independent advisory services for this restructure, which may be formally announced next March upon the 25th anniversary of the establishment of a national Olympic committee in the Cook Islands.