WOA elects first ever female President

19 | 1 | 2026

In a day of firsts, the WOA General Assembly yesterday elected double Olympic Champion Pernilla Wiberg OLY of Sweden its first ever female President, echoing the election of Kirsty Coventry as the IOC’s first ever female President.

Former Alpine Skiing World Champion and Olympic Gold Medallist Pernilla Wiberg OLY has vast experience within the Olympic Movement. She was an IOC Member, a member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, a WOA Executive Committee Member and was one of the WOA’s two Vice-Presidents until her election as President.

The WOA also elected its first ever Secretary General from Africa, Olumide Oyedeji OLY of Nigeria and its first ever Asian Treasurer, Thomas Tang OLY of Chinese Taipei. The newly elected Executive Committee contains members from all five continents and is gender balanced, with two representatives from each continent, one male and one female.

WOA President Pernilla Wiberg OLY said: “l would like to thank the Olympians of the world for bestowing this great honour on me. Becoming the fifth WOA President is very special, and being the first ever female in the post makes it even more special. I would like to thank the other presidential candidates, James Tomkins OLY and German Glessner OLY, for their part in the WOA’s democratic election process.

“The composition of the WOA leadership represents the diversity and the inclusiveness of the Olympic Movement. We will strive to ensure that the core founding values of the Olympics are always at the heart of the Olympic Movement along with the needs and aspirations of the Olympians themselves.

“I am looking forward to working closely with IOC President Kirsty Coventry and her team. Together we can keep the Olympic flame burning bright and make a real contribution to our regions, our nations and our local communities. There are already many Olympians acting as positive role models in society. The Olympic Movement, working as one, can help make the world a better, healthier, more inclusive and more active place.”

Outgoing WOA President Joël Bouzou OLY said; “It has been an honour and a privilege  to serve as the WOA President these past 15 years. Together we built the capacity of the WOA and the National Olympians Associations, running award-winning OLY Houses, creating the OLY post-nominal letters for Olympians, starting the Service to Olympians and Service to Society grants programmes and organising three great World Olympians Forums in Moscow, Lausanne and Istanbul.

“I would like to thank everyone who has been on this great journey with us. We leave a very solid base for Pernilla and her team to build on. She is absolutely the best person to take the WOA and the National Olympians Associations to new heights. I wish her and the newly elected Executive Committee well and ask them when making decisions to  always be guided by our motto: Service to Olympians, Service to Society. By serving the needs of Olympians we can empower them to serve the needs of Society. That’s what the modern Olympic Movement was founded to do.”

The full list of those elected to the WOA Executive Committee is:

President 
Pernilla Wiberg (Sweden)

Secretary General 
Olumide Oyedeji (Nigeria)

Treasurer 
Wei-Tsu (Thomas) Tang (Chinese Taipei)

EXCO Members Africa 
Rosa Rakotozafy (Madagascar)
Andrew Owusu (Ghana)

EXCO Members Americas 
Claire Carver-Dias (Canada)
Willie Banks (USA)

EXCO Members Asia 
Gillian Akiko Thomson Guevara (Philippines)
Deepak Bista (Nepal)

EXCO Members Europe 
Stavroula Kozompoli (Greece)
Igor Boraska (Croatia)

EXCO Members Oceania 
Julia Bell (Australia)
Carl Probert (Fiji)