25 Feb 2012

Cook Islands Finance Minister justifies money to local Olympic Committee

5:28 am on 25 February 2012

The Cook Islands finance minister, Mark Brown, has justified a large allocation to the financially struggling Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee in the supplementary budget now before Parliament.

He notes that nearly seven thousand US dollars is for a review of CISNOC's accounts, and that 25 thousand dollars is to cover unpaid wages for staff.

An allocation of 78 thousand dollars is to cover the cost of sending a team to the Olympics - money that will eventually be repaid by the Olympic committee.

Mr Brown says they have to make this money available because the IOC has enacted a new rule that all athletes must pre-pay their airfares and accommodation fees.