Liberia: Liberia Marathon Trust Rejects Laf Allegations, Says Partnership Agreement Expired in 2014

What the report says

AllAfrica, republishing a report by The Liberian Investigator, says the Liberia Marathon Trust has denied accusations from the Liberia Athletics Federation that it violated a memorandum of understanding governing their work together. The dispute follows the federation’s announcement that it had ended what it described as a 14-year partnership with the Trust and withdrawn approval for future Liberia Marathon road races.

According to the report, the federation alleged in a July 13 termination letter to LMT board member Juliane Weymann that the Trust failed to meet obligations under a 2011 MOU. LAF said the arrangement required LMT to finance yearly four-month residential training camps for 13 people: five male runners, five female runners and three technical officials, aimed at preparing Liberian athletes for World Athletics-sanctioned road and cross-country events.

LMT rejected that version of events, saying the only agreement it signed with LAF was a three-party MOU with the Ministry of Youth and Sports dated July 20, 2013. The Trust said that agreement lasted one year, expired in 2014 and was never replaced. It also said it had no contractual or legal duty to disclose Liberia Marathon finances to LAF, and that the 2013 agreement did not require such reporting.

The Trust said it has continued supporting athletics through the Liberia Marathon, certified race courses, chip-timing equipment, payments to federation officials for event services, athlete training sessions, equipment support and more than $75,000 in prize awards since 2011. The breakdown is significant because it could affect future sanctioning of Liberia’s leading road race and the relationship between two key bodies involved in the country’s athletics development.