The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has warned the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) to continue with elections on November 7, urging members to support the highly anticipated poll.

“We sincerely hope that everyone will support the elections and that any action aimed at disrupting it will be withdrawn without any further delay, failing which the IOC and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) will reserve the right to take further measures,” reads the letter from the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.  

The letter also endorsed the appointment of IOC board member Dr Sam Ramsamy as the election facilitator. “We are concerned by the latest developments and legal dispute recently initiated by a few members of the Sascoc board against the members of the Sascoc general assembly. As you all know, the IOC and IPC appointed Dr Sam Ramsamy as an IOC facilitator with the support of the IPC. We have left no stone unturned over the past few months to assist Sascoc in good faith in addressing and resolving its internal disputes amicably and conducting a free and fair election,” said the letter.

Sascoc CEO Ravi Govender said the latest list of presidential candidates could be made available before the end of the week.

“We submitted the list to the nominations committee on Monday. Finding the venue that will accommodate 160 people is a logistics issue. We need a space for 400 people so that we can comply with the social distancing regulations,” said Govender.