Rower Denis Masseglia now President of the French National Olympic Committee

FISA Council member Denis Masseglia has been elected as president of the French National Olympic Committee (“CNOSF”). Masseglia, 61, was formerly vice-president of the French NOC and this elected position is for a four-year term.

In a press release Masseglia said of his election to NOC president, “I wanted it, I got it and I will do it justice.” He succeeds Henri Serandour who held the presidential position for 16 years.

Masseglia is the former president of the French Rowing Federation and his involvement in FISA is as a member of the Council, chair of the Rowing for All Commission. He spent four years on the FISA Executive Committee up to 2004. The Rowing for All commission champions coastal rowing and recreational rowing tours along with other rowing activities. Coming from the coastal city of Marseilles, Masseglia has always had a strong involvement in coastal rowing.

Rowing has been part of Masseglia’s life since he was 12 years old and he remains with his club, “Le Cercle de l'aviron de Marseille”. Masseglia went on to be a competitive rower for two decades and was president of the French Rowing Federation from 1989 to 2001.

The election of Masseglia means that three FISA Council members are also presidents of their National Olympic Committees: John Coates in Australia and Eduardo Palomo in El Salvador are the other two.

There are a number of other former rowers who are presidents of their respective National Olympic Committees. Mike Stanley, former world champion and Olympic rower, became president of New Zealand’s Olympic Committee earlier this year and Colin Moynihan, Olympic medallist coxswain, was elected president of the British Olympic Committee in 2007.

There are also many rowers who are vice presidents of their NOCs including: Algirdas Raslanas of Lithuania, Ryszard Stadniuk of Poland, Jiri Kejval of the Czech Republic, Tricia Smith of Canada and Svetla Otzetova of Bulgaria. Khaled Zein El Din is the Secretary General of the Egyptian National Olympic Committee.

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