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Ukraine’s NOC secretary general fired over Olympic 2012 ticket scandal

Gerashchenko was fired for “unethical conduct and violation of the fundamental principles of Olympism"
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

KIEV, June 22 (Itar-Tass) — The General Assembly of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) has approved the resignation of the Committee’s former Secretary General Vladimir Gerashchenko and expelled him from the Committee over a scandal with black marketing Olympics 2012 tickets.

On Friday, the General Assembly held an extraordinary session to tackle this issue. Under the General Assembly resolution, Gerashchenko was fired for “unethical conduct and violation of the fundamental principles of Olympism.”

On May 22, National Olympic Committee President Sergei Bubka suspended Gerashchenko from the post of the Secretary General for the period of a probe into reports that Gerashchenko had agreed to sell London Olympics tickets on the black market. On May, 25, Gerashchenko asked resignation.

According to the investigation conducted by an ad-hoc commission, Gerashchenko had no right to plunge into any negotiations to resell the tickets. Moreover, he was drunk when negotiating the deal. At the same time, investigators arrived at the conclusion that he was not about to sell the tickets.

Gerashchenko was Ukrainian National Olympic Committee’s Secretary General from April 19, 1997.