WOA launches World Olympians Forum II

13 | 12 | 2018

World Olympians Association is pleased to announce the launch of the second World Olympians Forum (WOF), which will be held in Lausanne, Switzerland from 15 to 17 April 2019.

The event will bring together 150 Olympians from over 120 National Olympians Associations (NOAs) around the world under the theme Olympians for Life. In line with WOA’s mission to serve the needs of Olympians and to empower them to make a positive difference in their communities, the Forum will focus on strengthening NOAs and building relationships within the Olympic Movement and the wider sport community. Sessions and activities will include workshops, presentations, networking, dialogue, and cultural celebrations.

The Forum will also feature a joint session with the IOC 9^th International Athletes’ Forum – which runs from 13-15 April. The joint session will take place on Monday 15 April and will see athlete and Olympian representatives from across the Olympic Movement come together to build a unified and effective network for future cooperation.

The joint session is part of a wider strategic initiative between WOA and the IOC Athletes’ Commission to work in partnership on Olympian and athlete welfare, development and engagement.

WOA President, Joël Bouzou OLY said:

“I am delighted to announce the second edition of our World Olympians Forum, WOF II. Following on from the success of our inaugural event, together with the incredible strides forward we as an organisation have made in recent years, I am confident that it will be a special gathering of Olympians from around the world.

“I am also pleased to announce our joint session with the IOC 9^th International Athletes’ Forum – an innovative platform that will see WOA and the IOC Athletes’ Commission continue to forge a stronger working partnership that will, ultimately, help to better serve Olympians and athletes long into the future.

“At WOA we believe in the values of Olympism, and as we now build up to this event I am looking forward to seeing NOAs and Olympians come together to share in those values. The Forum is just one of the ways in which we aspire to connect and support Olympians around the world and I believe that by joining together, we can strengthen these aspirations and enact positive change.”

The first edition of the World Olympians Forum was held in 2015 in Moscow, Russia, and saw more than 284 delegates attend – spanning 121 NOAs.