Team GB’s Adam Pengilly Elected to IOC Athletes’ Commission
The British Olympic Association (BOA) is delighted to announce that Team GB skeleton athlete Adam Pengilly has been elected to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission in Vancouver today.
Pengilly received the most votes (615) from the total number of ballots accepted (1,902), which represents 75.3% of the Olympic athletes in Vancouver and Whistler.
Pengilly, 32 from Taunton, will serve for a term of eight years and become an IOC member during that period.
The role of the IOC Athletes’ Commission is to make certain athletes have a voice within the IOC and ensure that athletes are always at the heart of the IOC and the Olympic Games.
Nine athletes hailing from nine different countries across four continents stood as candidates for election, all the candidates were winter athletes who participated in 2006 in Turin or are participating in Vancouver 2010.
In reaction to the announcement Adam Pengilly said:
“Clearly i’m very excited to be representing the world’s athletes, and in particular winter athletes. It is a real privilege to be elected by my peers and I will represent them to the very best of my ability.
“I was elected on a mandate to strive for real equality on many levels in sport. I will work for equality between summer and winter sports, and to ensure all athletes face the same demands and requirements. I will push for the ADAMS anti-doping system to apply to all sports and all countries.
“I aim to work together with the IOC and International Federations to create and develop programmes for smaller nations so that there is no gulf between them and the top nations at Olympic Games.
“I would also like to try and ensure that the families of athletes, who have helped and supported them so much, have proper access to enjoy the Olympic experience. To achieve this, I will discuss re-introducing the host family programme.
“Obviously, as a British athlete, it is a special time to be elected. I’m sure London 2012 will be fantastic and I look forward to being involved in many ways as a member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission.
Colin Moynihan, BOA Chairman said:
“This is the best possible news for British athletes. The IOC Athletes’ Commission has rightly risen in importance to the heart of the Olympic movement. The voice of the athletes must always be heard first. Adam has all the skills required to make a major contribution both nationally and internationally.”
Andy Hunt, Team GB Chef de Mission and BOA Chief Executive said:
“I would like to offer my congratulations to Adam Pengilly on his election to the IOC Athletes’ Commission. I am very proud that a member of Team GB has been voted by his peers into this crucial and prestigious position. The British Olympic Association follows an athlete-centric approach in everything we do, so it is great to see Adam holding such an integral role, promoting the athlete voice, within the IOC. We look forward to working with, and supporting, Adam in the run up to London 2012 and beyond.”
Joining Pengilly on the IOC Athletes’ Commission will be USA women’s ice hockey player Angela Ruggiero, who received 605 votes. The two new members will be confirmed by full IOC membership before being officially introduced at the Closing Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games on 28th February.
Notes to editors:
Adam Pengilly, 32 from Taunton, is Vice Chair of the British Athletes Commission.
Pengilly coached the Team GB bobsleigh women at Salt Lake City in 2002 before deciding to “take charge of his own destiny” by returning to competition as a skeleton athlete, competing at the Winter Olympics four years later in Turin, where he finished eighth.
He won a silver medal in the 2009 World Championships and finished the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games in 18th position.
Click here to view Adam Pengilly’s biography.
The IOC Athletes’ Commission was created in 1981 and serves as the voice of the active athletes within the Olympic Movement. It is composed of 19 members, of whom there are eight summer sports athletes elected by their peers at the Games of the Olympiad; four winter sports athletes elected by their peers at the Olympic Winter Games; and up to seven athletes appointed by the IOC President to ensure a balance in terms of gender, sport and region. In addition, a World Olympians Association (WOA) representative and an International Paralympic Committee (IPC) representative are also part of the Commission, which is currently chaired by well-known Namibian sprinter Frank Fredericks, also a member of the IOC Executive Board.
The IOC Athletes’ Commission members are involved in many activities within the Olympic Movement, such as the evaluation process of candidate cities seeking to host the Olympic Games, the review of the sports programme for the Games, and the fight against doping. The Commission makes recommendations to the IOC’s main commissions and working groups and also works in liaison with the athletes’ commissions of the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs).
Biographies of all the candidates can be found here
Learn more about the IOC Athletes’ Commission here