4 October 2024
Athletes Voice Increased on World Curling Board
During the 2024 Annual General Assembly, the Athlete Commission Chair was granted voting rights on the World Curling Board.
This decision was made to improve and increase the voice of athletes at every level, allowing them to play an integral part of the decision-making process. Prior to this decision, the Athlete Commission Chair, who represents athletes at Board level, sat on the Board but did not have voting rights.
This change was strongly recommended under the IOC’s best practice ensure the athlete voice is part of Board level discussions and decisions.
Olympic gold medallist Tyler George, from the United States, currently sits as Athlete Commission Chair and will receive the voting rights.
George said: “It was extremely important that we caught up with the vast majority of Olympic sports in having athlete representation at the highest level of governance.
“As all elite players are influenced by the decisions made by the board, it’s only logical that the athletes themselves have a direct voice in those decisions through a seat at the table.
“And while the AC Chair’s vote is certainly an athlete-centric vote, it still comes with the understanding that the long-term prosperity of the sport and World Curling as a whole will serve and benefit the athletes and always will be taken into account.”
Jill Officer, former Athlete Commission Chair and current member of the World Curling Board, said: “For the Athlete Commission Chair to now have a vote on the board adds further credibility to the athlete voice.
“Athletes can be confident that their voice is being heard in the board room and that their vote counts. Having both the voice and the vote on the board will clearly ensure that the athletes are influencing the highest levels in our sport.”
The Athlete Commission is a group of representatives that is elected by the athletes for the athletes. The Athlete Commission contains ten members and its main role is to communicate the interests of high-performance curlers and to act as the collective voice for those curlers. Learn more about the World Curling Athlete Commission here.
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