Olympic bronze medallist and double World Champion Sarah Winckless was today re-elected as the chair of the British Olympic Association’s (BOA) Athletes' Commission. The Chair was chosen by the current Athletes' Commission* after five candidates today delivered a presentation and took part in a Questions & Answers session with the Athletes' Commission. A total of ten of the 13 members voted (three apologies).
Andy Hunt, BOA Chief Executive said:
“We congratulate Sarah on her re-election to Chair of the British Olympic Association’s Athletes' Commission. Sarah was picked by her fellow athletes and Olympians to ensure that the athletes' viewpoint and interests are at the heart of everything the BOA does. We are confident she will continue to make sure that athletes are at the pivotal centre of everything we do and we look forward to continuing the valued partnership.
“The excellent calibre of the five candidates who ran for chair reflects the importance of this role and the Commission itself and I would like to publicly thank them all for putting themselves forward.
“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank those Commission Members who are standing down for the next term for the outstanding and passionate work they have done. It has been a true privilege to work with them all."
Said Sarah Winckless, re-elected Chair of the BOA Athletes' Commission:
“I am delighted to continue the work with the British Olympic Association’s Athletes' Commission. I have had a huge amount of support from the Commission members in the last two years and I believe we have made a real difference to Team GB’s experience this summer at the London 2012 Olympics. There is plenty more work to do and I look forward to facing the challenges and working with the Commission in the future.”
The BOA Athletes' Commission is an advisory group set up to ensure that the athletes' viewpoint and interests are at the heart of everything the BOA does. The Commission has 13 members and a chair, made up of a mixture of past and present athletes, men and women from summer, winter, team and individual sports.
From 14 - 28th December fellow athletes and Olympians who competed no later than Sydney 2000 Olympic Games will be voting for shortlisted candidates in the running for the six members positions still to be filled. The final outcome will be announced in January 2013 after all legitimate votes have been counted.
To establish a staggered membership and continuity, the BOA Athletes' Commission in November voted for six of its 12 members to stay on the Commission for a further two years, to complete a four year total term to December 2014. The following athletes were confirmed to stay on the Committee**:
Ben Hawes – Hockey
Goldie Sayers – Athletics
Henry Nwume – Bobsleigh
Jackie Lockhart – Curling
Karen Pickering – Swimming
Sarah Gosling – Sailing