AOC: The new chair of the AOC Athletes’ Commission, Kim Crow, says the group will focus on athlete behaviour and look at ways to lift standards heading into the 2016 Rio Olympics and beyond.
AOC: The new chair of the AOC Athletes’ Commission, Kim Crow, says the group will focus on athlete behaviour and look at ways to lift standards heading into the 2016 Rio Olympics and beyond.
Speaking on ABC News 24 today, Crow, who won silver and bronze medals in rowing at the London Games, said:
“We need to set a standard for the young kids coming through. It is about what [behaviour] is acceptable and what’s not.”
The Athletes’ Commission has seven new members. Crow, Ken Wallace (canoe/kayak), Steve Hooker (athletics), Loudy Wiggins (diving), Lauren Mitchell (gymnastics), Anna Meares (cycling) and Stuart O’Grady (cycling). They join James Tomkins (rowing) and the two winter athletes Paul Murray (cross country skiing) and Jenny Owens (freestyle skiing).
At their first meeting in Sydney they spoke about the Olympic values and reinforcing those values over the next four years heading into Rio.
“We had a great chat about what the Olympics mean to all of us and what is special about the Olympics. And how we are going to reinforce those values amongst the Team over the next four years and into the future.”
“As Olympians we have a responsibility to be good sports people, be ambassadors for our country and we should wear the green and gold with pride,” Crow said. “Behaviour is something we are really looking at and I think that it is an education thing as well.”
The Commission will also encourage more Olympic athletes to engage with the community.
“A lot are already doing fantastic work at grassroots but we need to see how much we can engage and build the Olympic Movement. Because there is a wonderful tradition in Australia and we really want to continue that into the future.”
Crow stressed the need to remind present and future Olympians that the Games are something special. “It is a privilege but it is also a responsibility,” she said.
Olympics.com.au