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SCMP Reporter

A Hong Kong sports official barred for security reasons from the Sydney Olympic Games and the 1994 world basketball championships in Canada has been elected president of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba).

Businessman Carl Ching Men-ky - refused entry to the two events on the grounds that he was supposedly of dubious character - won a majority of votes from representatives of 100 countries at the 17th World Basketball Congress in Indianapolis, in the United States, on Monday.

Mr Ching becomes the first Chinese head of the federation - the second largest sports association in the world after football's world governing body Fifa.

President of Fiba-Asia before the poll, Mr Ching will serve as the president for four years.

A Fiba statement praised him for his efforts to turn basketball into the number one sport in Asia.

Mr Ching enjoyed a successful career both as a basketball player and subsequently as a coach, the Fiba statement read.

He had also been president of Fiba-Asia for five consecutive terms.

But the man who has won wide acclaim in the sporting world is no stranger to controversy.

In 1994, he was refused a visa to enter Canada to attend the world basketball championships. A leaked Canadian intelligence report linked him to triads in Hong Kong and Macau, an allegation he described as 'very unfair and very untrue'.

In 2000, Mr Ching was denied entry to Australia for the Sydney Olympics, also for security reasons. It caused a row between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Australian government. He claimed racial discrimination and a personal feud were behind that decision.

Mr Ching has said he has never broken the law and denies any involvement with organised crime.

In the past, he said he had been friends with corrupt detective sergeant Lui Lok when the police officer had been vice-president of the Hong Kong Basketball Association Mr Ching chaired. Lok fled Hong Kong in 1976.

He said he had also known the late Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

But Mr Ching has said he never had any improper dealings with them, pointing out that the Independent Commission Against Corruption had made checks and had not taken any action.



Controversial HK businessman to head world basketball body