USOC panel rules USA Triathlon must hold new elections

DENVER -- A U.S. Olympic Committee panel has overturned results of last year's USA Triathlon board elections and ordered the organization to hold a new vote as soon as possible.

The five-person panel, headed by Thurgood Marshall Jr., ruled Monday that the election rules did not follow USAT bylaws and left open the possibility for fraud.

"Nothing is more important, or sacred, than that an election be conducted under rules that are beyond reproach and which do not give rise to the perception of impropriety or cause any doubt as to the fairness of the election," the panel wrote in its 17-page decision. "The rules under which USAT's board election was conducted were ill conceived, contrary to normal election practices and allowed for improper election practices by candidates."

Successful non-elite athlete candidates Valarie Gattis, Jim Girand, Diane Travis and Jack Weiss now must resubmit their names if they want to be part of the new election. The decision does not apply to 2003 athlete selections to the board.

The panel set a deadline of May 28 for receiving petitions, and ballots will be sent out June 14. Ballots must be returned by June 28 and the new board will be seated by July 12.

Six USAT members, including four losing candidates, asked for new elections last year in a dispute over rules set up at a meeting in June. The group sued in February, seeking to overturn results of the election Nov. 7, but withdrew it after agreeing to let an independent panel settle the dispute.

At issue were rules allowing candidates to distribute, collect and submit ballots.

The panel ruled that by letting candidates hand out and collect ballots, voters might feel pressured to support that candidate. It also said involving candidates in the process opens the door to tampering and fraud.

The panel found no evidence that any candidate tampered with ballots, but held that even the perception of impropriety casts doubt on the credibility of the election.