Outgoing Executive Committee members of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) will no longer be able to vote in the organisation's elections, it has been announced following its 67th Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The removal of automatic voting rights was unanimously backed by national sport organisations and by TTOC Executive Committee members present during the AGM held at Olympic House in Port-of-Spain.
The move means that to be eligible to vote in future, outgoing elected Executive committee members must now be a duly accredited delegate representing a financial and voting member affiliate.
TTOC President Brian Lewis helped to push through the new ruling claiming it will create a more free and fair process for electing officials to the organisation.
Lewis, elected TTOC President in May last year, replacing Larry Romany who had served the maximum two terms, revealed the move to take away voting rights had been made following consultation with Jerome Poivey, head of institutional relations and governance at the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
"The previous position allowed outgoing officers to have an advantage that could be deemed unfair and undemocratic," said Lewis, who reigned as TTOC secretary general after 17 years, to contest the election last May.
"It was discussed with the IOC legal department [and] Jerome Poivey since last year.
"This is my first AGM as President and I wanted to ensure the change was made.
"The TTOC in respect of sport governance and leadership must be above reproach and must set the standard and example for good governance, democracy, equity, transparency and accountability.
"The national sport organisations and the TTOC Executive supported the change and they deserve credit for that.
"My hope is that other national sport organisations will follow."
Lewis defeated Richard Young in last year's Presidential election by 29 votes to 16.
Following those elections he was joined on the current Executive Committee by vice-Presidents David Inglefield and Dr Terry Ali, while Annette Knott, who served as Trinidad and Tobago's Chef de Mission at London 2012, replaced him as secretary general with Diane Henderson as assistant secretary general.
J Tyrone Marcus was elected as TTOC treasurer, with Dr Ian Hypolite, Wendell Constantine and Garvin Warwick as Executive members, Kerston Coombs and Douglas Camacho as trustees and Romany as immediate past President.
The next TTOC elections are due to take place in 2017.
Member national sport organisations also approved the 2013 Annual Report and the audited financial statements during the AGM.
Trinidad and Tobago won four medals at London 2012, including an historic second ever gold when Keshorn Walcott.
He won the javelin competition to follow on from Hasely Crawford, the 100 metres champion at Montreal 1976.