Message from Dick Fosbury

MESSAGE FROM DICK FOSBURY

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World Olympians Association President

November 2007

Greetings to all Olympians and members of the Olympic Family.

As the new president of the World Olympians Association (WOA), my plan is to communicate regularly with each member National Olympians Association (NOA), plus those individuals who were delegates to our recent WOA General Assembly in Lausanne, in addition to other members of the Olympic Family (including International Federations and National Olympic Committees, as well as other sports organizations and interested individuals). Periodic messages will be sent out in this format to inform interested parties of my activities as WOA president and to publicize projects of interest undertaken by the WOA. Key issues confronting the WOA and the Olympic family will be discussed and input solicited from all Olympians and Olympic family members. Please feel free to communicate your thoughts and opinions to me so that the WOA can best represent you and best serve the Olympic movement.

1. WOA GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2007

The third WOA General Assembly took place at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland on October 5 & 6, 2007. A total of 104 countries attended, including 2 new members, (with another 8 represented by proxy). Reports were given by each NOA present, by various WOA officers and by the City of Osaka, Japan, Sports Paradise, whose support has been critical in the growth and development of the WOA over the past five years. A number of topics were hotly discussed but I felt that everyone left with a positive feeling for the future and a willingness to work together harmoniously. The newly elected WOA Executive Committee for the next four years includes:

PRESIDENTDick Fosbury USA(Athletics)

SECRETARY GENERALAnthony Ledgard PER(Cycling)

VICE PRESIDENTStefka KostadinovaBUL (Athletics)

VICE PRESIDENTCharmaine Crooks CAN(Athletics)

TREASURERJoel Bouzou FRA(Modern Pentathlon)

MEMBER:George Andreadis GRE(Sailing)

MEMBER Amadou Dia BaSEN(Athletics)

MEMBER:Kieren PerkinsAUS(Swimming)

MEMBERDaichi SuzukiJPN(Swimming)

In addition to the above elected members, non-voting appointed members include IOC Athletes Commission Liaison Peter Tallberg (FIN) and IOC Liaison Christophe Dubi (SUI).

PHOTO New WOA Executive Committee members (Left to right): George Andreadis, Kieren Perkins, Daichi Suzuki, Stefka Kostadinova, Dick Fosbury, Charmaine Crooks, Joel Bouzou, Anthony Ledgard, Peter Tallberg and El Hadj Amadou Dia Ba. NOT PICTURED: IOC Liaison Christophe Dubi.

If you have pictures from the General Assembly, please send me copies for the next newsletter and for the Final Report of the 2007 WOA General Assembly.

2. MEETING WITH IOC PRESIDENT JACQUES ROGGE

After the WOA General Assembly, I met with IOC President Jacques Rogge at IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland on Monday 8 October 2007. We discussed the future of the WOA and the role he thought it should play as an integral member of the Olympic family.

President Rogge was well informed about the WOA and supportive of the potential of the organization. We discussed various financial points and structural issues involving the WOA. He highlighted three specific areas where he thought that the WOA could provide valuable assistance to Olympians and to the Olympic Movement, including:

1. NETWORKING: Maintenance of a database of Olympians and creation of an effective network of contacts to involve Olympians in the Olympic Movement and in their local communities (especially as ambassadors of Olympism).

1. EDUCATION: Development and support of educational programs for Olympians in their post-Olympic careers.

1. SUPPORT: Creation and promotion of employment opportunities and job development programs for Olympians in their post-Olympic Games careers, as well as emergency relief for those in dire need.

ABOVE: WOA President Dick Fosbury presents IOC President Jacques Rogge with a cast bronze stature of a diver by renowned sport sculptor Lori Norwood, former world champion in Modern Pentathlon, to be added to the collection of her statues already on display in the lobby of the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne.

3. MEETING WITH THE IOC MARKETING DEPARTMENT

Following the meeting with IOC President Jacques Rogge, I met with members of the IOC marketing department, including Timmo Lume, Peter Bratschi and Nolvenn Laine. We reviewed past marketing efforts and financial activities by the WOA generally and some specific projects, such as the VISAOlympiansReunionCenter. The most important item on the agenda was probably the proposed memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that has been proposed between the WOA and the IOC. That MOU would clarify the relationships of the two organizations, their rights and responsibilities towards each other, especially with respect to commercial and other uses of the WOA emblem that incorporates the five rings symbol of the IOC. As the “fourth pillar” of the Olympic Movement, the WOA should recognize that it has an obligation to support Olympism and a responsibility to respect the rights and interests of the International Olympic committee. Recognizing the value of Olympians to the Olympic Movement, the IOC has also been willing to listen to proposals to assist the WOA financially on an annual basis for its administrative activities, with either money or staff support or both.

A key element of the MOU will be to clarify the marketing rights of the WOA and limitations on its commercial activities with respect to legally protected IOC terms and symbols. The IOC has a vital interested in protecting its “brand” and growing the value of its franchise and supporting properties, to which end it needs to be sure that its own fundraising efforts are efficient and focused. Any marketing done by or for the WOA should be consistent with and supportive of the larger IOC marketing program. The IOC Top partner program, for example has proven very successful by establishing a consistent approach to marketing with specific categories, and not selling random bits of the whole property. To the extent that Olympians are the face of the Olympic movement, it was suggested that their role as ambassadors of Olympism has been underutilized and might be of greater value in the future to build awareness and add value. One specific idea discussed was the possibility of including the WOA as a new element on the IOC “menu” of opportunities for partners, as part of a coordinated joint marketing approach and clarification of the WOA “brand.”

ABOVE: WOA President Dick Fosbury with Peter Bratschi

(left) and Timmo Lume (right) of the IOC Marketing Department.

In order to help advance progress towards a mutually agreeable MOU, and to more fully define the relationship between the two organizations, the WOA will be conduct a full review of its finances and also prepare a strategic plan for the future in the days ahead. The strategic plan would ideally include a comprehensive budget, an outline of proposed activities and projects, and a detailed analysis of the administrative structure of the WOA in the future. Those with ideas and suggestions for how the WOA should function in the future to best achieve its mission are warmly encouraged to contact me with their thoughts and proposals. Anyone with relevant experience and expertise is invited to volunteer to work with the WOA and contribute their skills and resources to help us accomplish our mission: To unite Olympians and promote Olympism by bringing the Olympians of the world together and encouraging their involvement in public service.

4. MEETING WITH THE IOC-WOA LIAISON

Prior to meeting with the IOC, I met with the new IOC-WOA Liaison Christophe Dubi on Sunday, 7 October 2007, the day after the WOA General Assembly. Christophe succeeds prior IOC Liaisons Gilbert Felli and Kelly Fairweather and will serve as the primary contact point between the WOA and the IOC. We discussed a number of topics relating to the transition of the new WOA Executive committee, including the possibility of an office in Lausanne. The future of the WOA regional offices will also need to be reviewed. We also agreed that in order to finalize the IOC-WOA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in a timely fashion, a budget to detail expenses and a strategic plan of proposed activities needs to be prepared. A balance between these activities and the related administrative costs needs to be found. A comprehensive review of past finances needs to be conducted to that end. We also talked about the VISA OLYMPIANS REUNION CENTER. Our activities for Beijing for 2008 needs to be finalized and plans made for future Olympians Reunion Centers.

5. THE NEW WORLD OF COMMUNICATION FOR OLYMPIANS

One of my goals is to help bring Olympians into the modern world of communications with access to state-of-the-art Internet and Communication capabilities. To accomplish this, we have set up the Olympian.orgE-mail system.

The Olympian.org E-mail system is a sophisticated E-mail registration and forwarding system. It allows Olympians to have their very own E-mail address that starts with their full name and ends with “Olympian.org.” My Olympian E-mail Address, for example, is and I encourage you to write me at this address if you have any comments or suggestions for the WOA. With this system, you can check your email messages at or have them forwarded to any other e-mail address you choose. This is in addition to any other Internet service you may have.

To sign up for this service, you need only to go to the WOA E-mail registry web site at and fill out the Olympian profile. We will set you up with your own e-mail forwarding address and start you on your way with our new system. At this time, this service is available only to Olympians (accredited athlete participants at the Olympic Games). Olympian Status will be confirmed with your National Olympic Committee.

ONCE AN OLYMPIAN, ALWAYS AN OLYMPIAN

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