MOC Electoral Commission to analyse candidates’ eligibility to stand for election next month

The Maltese Olympic Committee Electoral Commission is set to convene this week to analyse the candidates for the elections of secretary general and director as the deadline for nominations came to a close on Sunday.

Joe Cassar, Jean Claude Micallef, and Sue Mercieca are the three nominees for the post of secretary general, while John Vella and Daniel Tabone will vie for the post of MOC Director, with the elections scheduled to take place on March 25.

In the race for secretary general, delegates from 43 affiliated federations will be given the task of choosing between two candidates, who already have experience in working at the Maltese Olympic Committee, and another who is bidding to enter the fray in Olympic sport administration in Malta.

The Maltese Olympic Committee is a partially government-funded organisation yet assumes full autonomy, and its elections are overseen by an independent Electoral Commission that will be tasked with verifying all nominations received against a set of pre-established criteria that include personal integrity, criminal record, bankruptcy, and moral conduct, amongst others.

It will then decide if all candidates are eligible to stand for the position on the MOC Executive Bureau or not.

Joe Cassar brings with him years of experience in the post, having already served as MOC secretary general for 28 years between 1993 and 2021, when he was replaced by Kevin Azzopardi.

Joe Cassar’s only blemish during his tenure at MOC was that media reports had linked him in the Olympic ticket scandal, allegations which he strongly denied.

On the other hand, Sue Mercieca is also a former MOC Director.

She served for four years as a Director on the MOC Board, where she led the Legal Commission and managed the Committee’s funding relationship with the International Olympic Committee.

She also served on Malta’s Anti-Doping Disciplinary Board, championing clean sport and fair competition at the national level.

Jean Claude Micallef has no experience in the MOC administration but was installed as Chief Executive Officer at the Authority for Integrity in Maltese Sport.

However, his tenure came to an abrupt end less than a year ago when he was forced to resign from his role after falling out with AIMS chairman Judge Emeritus Antonio Mizzi over a number of scandals that rocked the authority, including Micallef’s recruitment of an employee serving a life ban related to football corruption as well as court verdicts that went against Micallef.

As regards, the elections for MOC Director, the two nominees have never formed part of the MOC Bureau.

Daniel Tabone is the president of the Malta Handball Association and has been working hard to give a major push to the sport on the island.

On the other hand, John Vella is a former president of the Malta Triathlon Federation and was behind a major reform in the sport in favour of a youth strategy.