New Zealand Olympic Committee CEO and Secretary General Kereyn Smith has been appointed by IOC President Bach to the Evaluation Commission for the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (2024 Olympic Games).
Bringing a strong grounding in the Olympic Movement, sports governance, organisational management and integrity, Smith joins other international sporting leaders and experts charged with assessing Olympic candidate city bids with a special focus on sustainability and athletes’ experience.
Her appointment signals the increasing representation and contribution that New Zealand is making within the Olympic Movement. Smith’s new role is in addition to her current position on the IOC Sport and Active Society Commission. Joining Smith on the Evaluation Commission is former Paralympics New Zealand Chef de Mission Duane Kale.
New Zealand IOC Members Barry Maister and Barbara Kendall also sit on a number of international commissions including the Evaluation Commission for the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018 and the Athletes’ Commission.
Smith said she was delighted with the appointment. “It is a great honour and responsibility. My commitment is to assess the bids from an athlete and National Olympic Committee perspective and I look forward to adding value to the wider Olympic Movement.”
Smith credits the appointment to the New Zealand Olympic Committee’s positioning within the IOC. “We’re seen as a credible, capable sporting nation. Our team consistently performs to a high level at the Olympic Games and we are known for being a highly organised team, leading the way in games time management and culture.
“As part of our international advocacy programme we hosted visits from IOC President Bach, Sebastian Coe and a number of IOC members for the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly throughout 2015. These visits were very well received across the Olympic Movement and helped build on this positioning. We were also awarded the IOC Women in Sport Trophy in Lausanne last year.
“We’ve been a member of the Olympic Movement since the very beginning, we were a signatory to the IOC’s founding documents back in 1894," said Smith.
The Candidate Cities* for the 2024 Olympic Games are Los Angeles (USA), Rome (Italy), Budapest (Hungary) and Paris (France).
The members of the Evaluation Commission for the Games of the XXIII Olympiad are:
Chair
Frank FREDERICKS
Members
Patrick BAUMANN
Marisol CASADO
Mikaela COJUANGCO JAWORSKI
Kirsty COVENTRY
Nawal EL MOUTAWAKEL
Ugur ERDENER
Habu GUMEL
Poul-Erik HØYER
Duane KALE
Gunilla LINDBERG
Kereyn SMITH
Bernard RAJZMAN
Tsunekazu TAKEDA
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