Suspected infidelity in ÖOC: Menil reported

Offer available in ZIB2 and Standard. At the heart of the issue is the crowdfunding platform “I Believe in You” (IBIY), which was founded more than eight years ago. Athletes and clubs can use this platform to announce plans or purchases and ask for donations – Vorarlberg athletes are also represented on the platform. If the crowdfunding goal is achieved, IBIY-GmbH retains twelve percent of the amount raised as administrative and transaction fees. But IBIY has recorded losses over the years. It is now suspected that the OÖC leadership covered these losses with the commission’s assets. ÖOC members are said to have suffered damage amounting to €416,000.

Announcement: The General Assembly should have taken a decision

According to the complaint, Mennell, 68, “is suspected of intentionally abusing his authority to dispose of ÖOC’s assets.” He caused financial damage to ordinary ÖOC members amounting to €416,000 by causing the “I Believe in You Österreich”. GmbH (IBIY) covered the assets of ÖOC with the assets of ÖOC.” The Executive Board of ÖOC, in turn, was responsible for “these criminal acts of Dr. Menil helped approve this approach, even though the Presidium members knew that such a decision rested with the General Assembly.

Jobs and communications

The complaint was submitted to the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office by a lawyer on behalf of “full members of the IOC”, that is, sports federations with seats at the IOC General Meeting. The OÖC took over IBIY’s losses in full, although until recently there had been a total of three shareholders – in addition to the ÖOC, the Swiss company IBIY and Sporthilfe – rather than taking just a third.

According to the minutes of the last general meeting, available to ORF and Standard, Meinel assured members that 1.8 or 1.9 million euros “flowed into Austrian sports” through IBIY. But the company itself remained in deficit.” So Meinel wanted to merge IBIY with another company called Olympic Austria GmbH, a 100 percent subsidiary of ÖOC. Olympic Austria makes profits because it is financed, among other things, by the Chamber of Commerce and sponsors In addition to his functions at OÖC, Menel also serves as Managing Director of IBIY and a member of the Board of Directors of Sporthilfe.

no comment

In the announcement, it is considered “questionable” whether saving IBIY was necessary: ​​“But this decision was taken by the full members of the IOC as they were not even asked about it.”

ORF and “Standard” initially received no comments in response to inquiries from Mennel and ÖOC Chairman Karl Stoss. It is a sensitive time for the Oman Olympic Committee, and the committee is about to elect a new board of directors. The next General Assembly is scheduled to be held on September 22.