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WOA Executive Committee Meets at Olympic Games

10 | 8 | 2016

The World Olympians Association Executive Committee has met in Rio de Janeiro on the occasion of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. It is the first time the full board has convened in person since it was expanded as part of changes mandated by the new WOA Constitution, passed by the WOA General Assembly in October last year.

Board members met at the Olympians Reunion Centre by EY – the home of Olympians in Rio during the Games – to discuss the vision and mission of the WOA and steer a path towards the development of a new strategic plan, which will see the organisation through to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The existing strategic plan expires at the end of this year so a strategic planning workshop was held on day one of the two-day meeting to discuss and develop ideas to take the organisation forward and guide the day to day workings of WOA over the next Olympic cycle. The updated plan will align closely with Olympic Agenda 2020 and enhance the WOA’s close working relationship with the IOC.

During the meeting the Board also agreed the terms of reference governing five new working groups, which are being established to support WOA’s overall mission to serve the needs of Olympians at all stages of their lives and help mobilise Olympians to be of service to society through the practice of Olympism.

The five working groups are:

  • Service to Society Grant Panel - to oversee the evaluation of applications from National Olympians Associations for grant funding for service to society projects
  • Grant Donors Working Group – to identify donors and seek contributions towards the NOA Development Grants and WOA Service to Society grant fund.
  • Post-Nominal Letters Working Group – to explore ways to establish the use of OLY as post nominal letters to identify Olympians
  • Code of Ethics Working Group – to develop guidelines for NOAs to use within their membership criteria and developing, communicating and reviewing the NOA Code of Conduct guidelines
  • WOA Medical Committee – to support the long-term physical and mental health of Olympians through post-athletic career medical research and the production of guidelines

The working groups will provide quarterly updates to the Executive Committee on their work.

WOA President, Joël Bouzou, said:

“It has been a great pleasure to welcome the full WOA Executive Committee to the Olympians Reunion Centre by EY here in Rio de Janeiro. It was wonderful to see so much energy and enthusiasm from our members as we develop a new framework that aligns closely with Olympic Agenda 2020, to guide our strategic plan through to 2020.

“It was also pleasing to see our new working groups further defined with the establishment of the terms of reference. The working groups will form an important part of the WOA governance structure going forward and will help to inform our decision-making process.

“The WOA has benefited from sustained growth and continued development in recent years. We are in a strong position with a passionate and dedicated board who are determined to work for and with Olympians around the world to ensure the best interests and needs of Olympians are served at all stages of their lives.”