NOC given roasting: Everyone is stealing

Lukashenka found corruption among officials of the National Olympic Committee (NOC).

Alyaksandr Lukashenka warned corruption in the Belarusian sport would be suppressed severely and admitted the offences had been committed by former members of the NOC executive committee, Interfax news agency reports.

“The NOC Vice President, who has been relieved of duty, was paid a salary equal to the presidential one and even more than that. The NOC representative office personnel had salaries I am embarrassed to specify. Moreover, some people tried to handle their own personal problems at the expense of the NOC and the state,” Lukashenka said at a meeting of the new NOC executive committee on Thursday.

“I am talking about your honesty. It's the least thing that worries me now, but you know that no one will be excused in connection with corruption,” the ruler stressed adding that “incomes of NOC executive committee officials should be commensurate with the salaries in the Ministry of Sport and Tourism.”

Lukashenka also warned: “Money should not be spent on the aims having no relation to the sport development and especially on personal expenses of sports officials.”

Lukashenka thinks the new leadership of the sports sector will be able to break the negative tendencies in this sector and bring the Belarusian sport to a new level.

“These are not accidental people for sport and the government system. They are solid men, who love sport and have experience of working in this field,” he said speaking about the new minister for sports and tourism Alyaksandr Shamko, president's aide for sports Maksim Ryzhankou and NOC first vice president Ihar Rachkouski.

Talking about his personnel decisions, Lukashenka noted: “Firstly, they should be people from the outside, not the candidates proposed by the so called sports specialists. I worry about both inactivity of former top officials and corruption among these people. We need to avoid nepotism, so I appointed the people from the outside,” Lukashenka stressed.

According to him, “They are the people who understand and love sport.” “Those who didn't run, jump or hold a hockey stick in their hands cannot be executive in the sports sector,” he noted.

“As for any speculations about hidden reasons here, believe me, I have none. Appointments to any posts should not be based on loyalty,” Lukashenka said.