Rowing Well Represented in IOC Commissions

Numerous FISA Family members are amongst those appointed by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge to sit on the various IOC Commissions. The announcement was made Monday from the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Denis Oswald, FISA President and IOC Executive Board member who has also made headlines recently for the action he has taken as head of the IOC Coordination Commission for the Athens Olympic Games, has been reappointed to the Juridical Commission, the Medical Commission and named to the newly created Reform Follow-Up Commission.

FISA Vice President Anita DeFrantz has been reappointed as Chairperson to the Women and Sport Working Group. In addition, she has been reappointed to the Finance Commission, the Sport and Law Commission as well as the Juridical Commission where she is joined by new member Australian John Coates who is FISA’s continental representative for Australia. Coates was also appointed to the Olympic Games Study Commission.

Chinese Rowing Federation President, Zhenliang He, continues as an IOC Executive Board member as well as Chairman of the Commission for Culture and Olympic education.  While FISA’s continental representative for South America Ivan Dibos stays on as a member of the same Commission.

The IOC Athletes Commission now boasts two rowers amongst its 18 members. German Roland Baar who was elected to the Commission in 1996 (and an IOC member in 1999) is joined by Sydney gold medallist Matthew Pinsent from Great Britain. Baar is also a member of the Olympic Programme Commission.

In accordance with the IOC Charter, the IOC Commissions are either appointed by the IOC President or wholly or partly elected by various constituencies, as is the case for the Executive Board, the Ethics Commission, the Nominations Commission and the Athletes Commission.

The IOC counts 25 specialised Commissions.