BAM unable to get court order to halt Sports Commissioner's decision

Civil Court has ruled that it cannot issue a temporary order against the Commissioner of Sports decision on Badminton Association of Maldives (BAM).

BAM had appealed to the court for a temporary order to hold Sports Commissioner Mohamed Tholal's decision against the association. Tholal had decided last month to hand over the running of the association to the Sports Council as the term of their Executive Committee had ended.

Tholal said then that the Sports Council would oversee BAM until such a time that a new election is held to form the associaton's ExCo.

Last week, BAM submitted the case to Civil Court, seeking an injunction against the Sports Commissioner's decision. The documents submitted by BAM include a copy of letter sent by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) appealing to change Tholal's decision. In the letter, BWF requests the Olympic Committee to ask Tholal to reconsider his decision.

The letter, dated August 21, stated that the running of BAM had been handed over to the Sports Council at a time when deliberations were ongoing to force a three member ad-hoc committee to facilitate the association's elections being held at the end of the year. The letter states that an agreement was reached in the 'good faith' deliberations between BWF. MOC, and BAM, to proceed with the existing ExCo until the association's elections are held.

A message to the media by Tholal in response to this letter stated that he accepts the BWF's letter as progress in reforming BAM. He said that there are no restrictions against BWF forming an ad-hoc committee. He suggested that instead of three, the committee be made up of five members.

BAM ExCo's term ended in March. Tholal halted the association's attempt to hold elections. He said that there are questions around the validity of the members voting in the electoral congress, and advised the elections be held after addressing this issue.