Coventry attends IOC Athletes Forum

By The NewsDay | Jun. 29, 2013 | 2 Min read

Kirsty Coventry is among some of the world’s top athletes who are currently in Singapore to take part in the International Olympic Committee Athletes Forum.

SWIMMING star Kirsty Coventry is among some of the world’s top athletes, both current and former, who are currently in Singapore to take part in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes Forum which began on Thursday and ends today.

DANIEL NHAKANISO

The Athletes’ Forum, where top competitors from around the world and representatives of the international federations and the five Continental Associations of National Olympic Committees meet to discuss topics of direct concern to them, is held every two years.

The Zimbabwe seven-time Olympic medalist said she was at the prestigious forum to represent African athletes.

“I am at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes Forum in Singapore. The forum takes place once every 2 years. I am here to represent the athletes from Africa as well as a representative of the IOC athlete’s commission.

“This forum brings Athletes together from all over the world for four days to build communication through plenary sessions and working groups. This is necessary and of great importance as to ensure Athletes have the chance to consult to the IOC in order to share common goals, interests, problems and solutions. After all, if it wasn’t for the Athletes there would be no Olympic Games, and the same can be said if there was no IOC,” said Coventry in a statement on her official Facebook page.

Some of the other top athletes also in Singapore include Olympic shooting champion Abhinav Bindra of India, recently-retired badminton player Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia, former Russian swim star Alexander Popov and winter Olympic speed-skating champion Yang Yang of China.

IOC president Jacques Rogge will attend the three-day forum. Coventry was elected into the commission in August last year to join Slovakia’s Danka Bartekova (shooting), Australia’s James Tomkins (rowing) and France’s Tony Estanguet (canoeing) as newly-elected members of the commission.