Call for Greater Athlete Participation in Olympic Reforms

(ATR) The chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission says athletes should be "at the heart of the movement" in Olympic Agenda 2020 deliberations.

Olympic Agenda 2020 is a process initiated last year by IOC President Thomas Bach to bring changes to the way the IOC and the Olympic Games are administered.

Speaking at the 18th International Menarini Fair Play Awards July 24 in Italy, Claudia Bokel said Olympiansmust be part of the Olympic Agenda 2020 discussions that have so far included IOC members, sponsors and other stakeholders.

"Athletes should be present for all experiences of the Olympic movement, including governance, athletes’ commission, and the Olympic program," Bokel says in an interview published by AIPS, the Association of International Sports Press.

"That’s why they should be involved with Olympic Agenda 2020, so the Olympics can be the best event they participate in and so they can have their best performances."

Bokel says the IOC international athletes forum has been a voice for athletes, and thinks that will continue with the upcoming changes from Olympic Agenda 2020.

"So far, all the recommendations from the forum in the past have been approved by the previous president, and I’m sure that President Bach will do the same."

"As athletes, we always have a voice, and the IOC athlete’s commission is always there for the athletes"

The final proposals will be presented to the IOC for approval at an Extraordinary IOC Session in Monaco in December 2014.

Written by Andrew Murrell.

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.