11/12/2025
ELECTION PROCESS UNDER FIRE
…NOCSI disqualify candidates to protect incumbent Rara
BY ELTON LONARATHA JNR
THE nomination for the upcoming National Olympic Committee of Solomon Islands (NOCSI) is being questioned by most National Federations (NFs) regarding the transparency of the process, which resulted in the current President, Martin Rara, running unopposed and likely to retain his title after serving in the office for 11 years.
There were two candidates nominated for the President role for the upcoming NOCSI election on Sunday.
However, the NOCSI board deemed these nominations invalid, leaving the current President in a strong position to retain his title unopposed.
These candidates come from the Hockey Federation and Basketball Federation. The candidate for basketball was nominated by the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF), while the candidate for Hockey was nominated by the Solomon Islands Tennis Federation (SITF).
The representative from SIFF who nominated the basketball candidate was blacklisted, resulting in the nomination being regarded as invalid. However, there is no specific clause in the constitution for blacklisting.
The nomination made by a representative from SITF for the Hockey candidate was also invalid due to Hockey's status as an associate member and not a full member.
However, federations are expressing frustration with how the NOCSI Board is handling the nomination process, especially regarding the decision made on the nomination by the SITF for a Hockey candidate for the President post.
SunSPORTS learned that only ten out of around twenty-eight federations were considered in the nomination process conducted by the NOCSI General Secretary, Melinda Avosa.
NOCSI Board Member, Morris Maitaki, told SunSPORTS that all federations are aware of their membership status with NOCSI in terms of the nomination process.
SunSPORTS also made efforts to reach out to Rara and Avosa but received no response.
According to Article 6.1 of the NOCSI constitution, membership of the NOCSI shall be open to all National Federations affiliated with International Federations governing sports included in the program of the Olympic Games. Such federations must be voting members and always constitute the voting majority within the NOCSI.
They shall be represented at the General Assembly meeting by up to two delegates with one vote each.
This includes NFs affiliated with International Federations whose sports are not included in the program of the Olympic Games but are recognized by the IOC. They shall be represented at the General Assembly meeting by up to two delegates with one vote each.
In Article 6.2, it is stated that to be recognized and accepted as a member of NOCSI, NFs must administer a specific, real, and ongoing sports activity in the Solomon Islands, particularly by organizing annual competitions for athletes in at least three provinces in the Solomon Islands.
NOCSI President Martin Rara is also the President of the Sailing Federation, which has no active programs and competitions organized annually in Honiara and in the Provinces, unlike other sports that host their annual programs in Honiara, but were regarded as non-members and associate members of the NOCSI.
The Article also states that a federation can be accepted as a member of NOCSI if they are affiliated with an IF governing a sport included in the program of the Olympic Games or an IF whose sport is not on the program of the Olympic Games but is an IF recognized by the IOC.
NFs must be governed by and comply in all aspects with both the Olympic charter and the rules of their IF.
Applications for membership to NOCSI from NFs shall be made in writing to the GS/CEO. All such applications shall be accompanied by a certificate of recognition from the relevant IF, a copy of the approved constitution of the applicant federation, minutes of the meeting at which the federation was founded and its constitution adopted, and a list of its office bearers and their portfolios.
NFs that fail to fulfill the membership requirements are called provisional members. Provisional members can be invited to participate in the NOCSI General Assembly meetings but do not have any voting rights and are not entitled to any funding from NOCSI.
In Article 13 of the Constitution, it is stated that Executive Board Members and National Federations affiliated with NOCSI and financially at the time of submitting the nomination papers are responsible for nominating members to the Executive Board.
Filling vacancies on the Executive Board that may occur between Annual General Assembly Meetings of NOCSI is the responsibility of the Executive Board, subject to ratification at the next General Assembly.
The duration of all such appointments shall be for the uncompleted term of the vacant position. When considering and nominating potential board members to an Annual General Assembly Meeting for election, NOCSI seeks to consider gender equality and identify candidates with appropriate skills, knowledge, and experience to contribute to the effective direction of NOCSI, who can exercise independent and informed judgment on matters that come to the board and who are free of any business or other relationships that may interfere with the exercise of that individual judgment.
This includes the independence of Board Members. All board members will take their seats on the board as independents and not as representatives of their NFs or business interests that may be associated with.
All board members are required to disclose any conflicts of interest at their first board meeting and all relevant information that may affect their independence.
An Officer or member of the Executive Board shall not be eligible for appointment as a delegate of an affiliate to the General Assembly of NOCSI.
In Articles 15 and 20 of the NOCSI constitution, there is a strong emphasis on transparency using the media.
It is stated that unless otherwise directed by the President or the Secretary-General or CEO, communication on behalf of NOCSI with the media and the public must be made only by the GS or CEO or the President or specifically designated representatives of NOCSI.
The President may speak on behalf of NOCSI on governance issues and its strategic direction. The GS or CEO is authorized to speak on all aspects of NOCSI other than governance. If any other Board Member receives any inquiry relating to NOCSI, he or she should decline to comment and ask them to call the President or GS/CEO.
In Article 20, it is stated that the GS or CEO shall, on the directives of the Executive Board, issue notices of meetings by radio, printed media, and in writing stating the date, time, place, and the matters to be discussed. This includes a 7-day notice for Executive Board Meetings and a 30-day notice for Annual, Extraordinary, or Special General Assembly meetings.
However, the ongoing blacklisting of media, delay tactics, and failure to respond to media queries remain top issues at the NOCSI.
Even the notice for the upcoming AGM was never published on radio, TV, or in print.
Instead, the NOCSI published the notice and backdated it to November 7th on their social media page (Facebook).
