| 1. |
Mr Sergey Bubka, International Olympic Committee
(IOC) Executive Board Member, Current world record holder in
Pole Vault and President of the Ukraine National Olympic Committee,
met with the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) Athletes
Commission to discuss the roles of the Athletes’ Commission
and the importance for athletes to plan for a career after sports. |
| 2. |
On 2 July, Sergey Bubka, who is the chairman of the IOC Athletes
Commission, went directly to the National Stadium upon his arrival
to have a one hour session with the SNOC Athletes Commission,
chaired by Dr Ben Tan, 1994 Asian Games champion and chairman
of the SNOC Athletes’ Commission. Sergey gave an overview
of the IOC Athletes’ Commission and how it has worked
constructively to represent the interest of the athletes world-wide.
Members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission also serve in
other committees within IOC, so as to ensure that there is an
athlete’s voice in various facets of the Olympic Games
and of the Olympic sports. He gave the example of Frank Fredericks
who is the athletes’ representative in the Evaluation
Commission for the 2012 Olympic Games. The Commission meets
with the Executive Board annually to discuss and put up their
recommendations and proposals. The International Athletes’
Forum was one of the several recommendations made by the Commission,
and adopted by the IOC Executive Board. Sergey suggested that
Singapore should also organize a similar forum to hear the views
and concerns of local athletes. |
| 3. |
Sergey highlighted the four important pillars for sport: IOC,
National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Federations
(IFs) and Athletes. Sergey recognized the importance of having
a supportive Executive Board for the success of the Athlete
Commission - he related that a substantial portion of the IOC’s
budget is allocated to the Athletes Commission. He suggested
that beyond having an Athletes’ Commission established
in every NOC, each national sports association should also have
an athletes’ committee to represent the views and interests
of each athlete in his respective sport. |
| 4. |
Just as the IOC and its Athletes’ Commission is guided
by a set of athletes’ rights and obligations, Sergey suggested
each sport in each country should develop its own set of guidelines
that is specific to its own circumstances. The SNOC Athletes’
Commission, in collaboration with SSC, has already drafted such
a document and will soon be consulting NSAs and athletes before
ratifying it. With such guidelines, disputes can be minimized. |
| 5. |
Another role that the Commission could play is to help athletes
integrate back into society after sports. Education is essential
for an athlete to prepare for a career after sports. Sergey
believes that with good planning, athletes can manage both their
education and competitive sports training at the same time.
Competitive sport training equips athletes with successful traits,
such as dedication, mental strength, and good time management,
that will be useful for the pursuit of their chosen careers
after sports. |
| 6. |
The SNOC Athletes’ Commission was formed a year ago,
with Dr Ben Tan, Olympic sailor at the 1996 Atlanta Games as
its first chairman. It has since been involved in providing
input, with the athlete’s perspective, to various functions
of the SNOC, and has also helped to resolve disputes and grievances
involving athletes. |
