Reference is made to the article that appeared in the Times of Malta (March 29, 2020) titled “World body appoint interim board to carry Malta reform”.
Glorianne Pace, Pierre Genuis and Jonathan Vella, as Executive Committee members of the Malta Taekwondo Federation (MTF), categorically deny that they met with the “high delegation, led by the vice-president of World Taekwondo (WT), (which) visited Malta in mid-December 2019”.
They also deny that “the delegation met the Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC), SportMalta and the MTF Executive (Committee) except its Treasurer”.
The aforementioned Executive Committee members were not invited to, or informed of this meeting.
As a matter of fact, these Executive Committee members of the MTF had requested to address the concerns they had submitted to the MOC in November, including mishandling of funds and a complete disregard to due processes, with the WT in an amicable manner.
However, such request was unfortunately not wholly embraced by the WT, who in turn only met up with the president of the MTF.
The suspension that has been imposed by WT on the MTF solely prevents the MTF from attending and participating in any WT event. The MTF has not been suspended from the carrying out of its operations, which operations emerge out of the MTF’s own statute.
With respect to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on January 31, 2020, both Executive Committee members of the MTF and other members of the MTF were in attendance.
The quorum requirement as set out in Article 7 (4) of the MTF’s statute (requiring a 25 per cent quorum for AGM’s) was in fact satisfied before the scheduled commencement of the meeting enabling the AGM to be held as per the agenda.
Finally, our clients have already formally written to the WT in an amicable manner for the suspension imposed on the MTF to be lifted and for the Maltese federationto be reinstated as a member of WT.
Furthermore, the MTF has already committed itself to strengthening the working relationship with WT and address any shortcomings identified by WT in the operation of the MTF in a sportsman-like manner with a view to the sport of Taekwondo to continue striving forward.
Our clients eagerly await to receive the WT’s response in this regard.
Dr Robert Dingli – Valletta