FRENCH (GBR) AND MARQUES (BRA) LEAD REPRESENTATION OF UIPM COMMISSIONS IN LAUSANNE (SUI)

Two Olympic medallists in Modern Pentathlon, Kate French of Great Britain and Yane Marques of Brazil, were among the UIPM Commission representatives taking part in recent engagements in Lausanne (SUI).

Kirsty Coventry, the new President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), staged a week of discussions around the IOC’s new ‘Fit For The Future’ blueprint, including the International Federation (IF) Forum attended by UIPM President Rob Stull and Secretary General Shiny Fang.

London 2012 bronze medallist Marques (BRA) was among the visitors to Olympic House during this period, acting primarily in her capacity as Vice President of the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) but also promoting the gender equality agenda as a Member of the UIPM Women’s Commission.

Her fellow UIPM Women’s Commission Member, Tokyo 2020 champion French (GBR), was another visitor signing the Olympic Wall at IOC headquarters in Switzerland. The recently retired pentathlete took part in a three-day Women’s Leadership Workshop arranged by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).

Yane Marques said: “It was with great pride and a sense of mission accomplished that we visited the International Olympic Committee’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, when I had the honour of meeting the IOC President Kirsty Coventry and signing the Olympians Wall. 

“From the beginning of my journey as an athlete, Olympic Modern Pentathlon medallist and now sport leader, I have always believed that female empowerment is directly linked to the pursuit of knowledge and skills development. This has always been my formula for turning challenges into accomplishments.

“Nowadays, in my capacity as Vice President of the Brazil Olympic Committee, I recognize more than ever that these values must extend beyond individual performance. They must be embedded in governance, training methodologies, care, team leadership and the sporting culture itself.

“I would like to thank the UIPM for the confidence in my job developed at the Women’s Commission that has highly contributed to what I have been doing in benefit of sports, especially in the fight for gender equity.”

Kate French commented: “I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the ASOIF Women’s Leadership Workshop in Lausanne. It was an incredibly valuable and thought-provoking experience. Connecting and sharing insights with women from such a wide range of sports and backgrounds around the world was genuinely inspiring.

“The visit to the Olympic House made me reflect on the Olympic values and my own journey as an athlete. Then adding my name to the Olympic Wall alongside so many incredible Olympians was a real highlight.”

Other UIPM Commission representatives involved in Fit For The Future consultations included Alexandra de Navacelle de Coubertin and Dr Klaus Schormann, both long-serving members of the IOC Commission for Culture & Olympic Heritage (in Dr Schormann’s case, he has been serving on culture-related IOC Commissions since 1994).

Alexandra de Navacelle de Coubertin, a descendant of Modern Pentathlon founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin, chairs the UIPM Pierre de Coubertin Commission, of which Dr Schormann is a Member. Dr Schormann, UIPM’s longest-serving President (1993-2004), also chairs the UIPM Commission for Culture and Education.

As part of a 26-strong IOC Commission they participated in a day-long workshop and afterwards had the chance to meet and take photographs with President Coventry.