World Aquatics Appoints Stabilization Committee for Tunisian Swimming Federation
World Aquatics announced on Thursday that is has named a stabilization committee to lead the Tunisian Swimming Federation.
The World Aquatics executive committee met on Tuesday to discuss how to aid the Federation Tunisienne de Natation (FTN) after its board was dissolved by the president of the country. Mohamed Zribi will chair the committee, and Maha Zaoui is listed as the point of contact.
From the statement:
“The Stabilization Committee will run all day-to-day operations of the Tunisian Swimming Federation, conduct the proper and necessary amendments to the national federation’s Constitution, and organise and conduct a new election within six months.
“Activated in the best interests of all Tunisian athletes, the Stabilization Committee will ensure that the Tunisian Swimming Federation adheres to the highest standards of good governance and transparency.”
The FTN board was dissolved with that of the Tunisian Anti-Doping Organization, ANAD, and some of its leaders jailed last week. The president of Tunisia took umbrage that, as the country was ruled non-compliant by the World Anti-Doping Agency in implementing modifications from 2021 to its code, it couldn’t fly the Tunisian flag at a swim meet in Tunis. When officials followed the directives of WADA, they were dismissed and jailed.
WADA has since removed ANAD from its non-compliant list, a move that is retroactive to a date before the swim meet that escalated this controversy.