A report has appeared in SeilMagasinet.no that the World Sailing Ethics Commission has issued World Sailing President Kim Andersen a ‘Warning’ after abusing the signatures of his vice presidents.
The case arose after two World Sailing (WS) Vice Presidents, Gary Jobson and Scott Perry, took the unusual step of reporting Mr Andersen to the WS Ethics Commission.
This followed the unauthorized use of their signatures in a letter to journalist Tom Ehman following an item on his ‘Sailing Illustrated’ Internet sailing news programme.
This letter wrongfully accused Mr Ehman of having disseminated incorrect information about WS’s financial situation, allegedly as a result of quotations from Vice Presidents Gary Jobson and Scott Perry.
As a result the two took the unusual step of reporting Kim Andersen to the WS Ethics Commission.
Mr Andersen then objected to the appointment as President of the Commission, of Mr Josep M Pla, President of the European Sailing Federation EUROSAF.
After this move failed, and the highly critical Ethics Commission report was made available to the parties envolved, Mr Andersen then challenged the WS Ethics Commission’s competence.
On Wednesday 19 August, however, the acting head of the Ethics Commission, Dieter Neupert, finally published the report by instructing World Sailing CEO David Graham to send it out to council members, and lifted the Confidentiality Order.
Seilmagasinet then obtained a copy with permission to publish it.
The 15 page report concludes with . . . the EO hereby decides:
A) To issue a warning to Kim Andersen and thereafter take no further action.
B) To take no further action towards Gary Jobson and Scott Perry.
And in its final remarks the report adds:
101. The preceding saddening report must not make forget that all parties mentioned contribute voluntary work to reach a worthy common goal: to promote the sport of sailing, to make it more relevant and attractive, and to help sailors around the world fulfill their dreams.
Read more from the article/report here . . . in Norwegian
Editor Update 21 Aug: World Sailing President, Kim Andersen has issued a statement in which he says the matter has been sent before the WS Judicial Board
President Andersen is also the subject of a new complaint in which he is said to have violated the rules on reporting the conclusion of contracts of a certain size to the board, and that he has failed to declare a possible conflict of interest.
In this case the WS Ethics Commission has appointed a lawyer, Laurence Burger, from CAS the International Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
And work is now in hand to have this matter completed well in advance of the WS Presidential elections in early November.
Related Post:
World Sailing President Kim Andersen replies to media criticism
World Sailing issues ‘Reminder’ to Member National Authorities
