Ian Chesterman says he's highly motivated to ensure Australia delivers the best-possible Olympic Games in Brisbane.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
He is vice-president of the Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and has just taken on another highly-coveted role.
Chesterman has become just the 13th Australian to serve as an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member in its 130-year history.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president was one of eight new members elected in Paris this week.
His membership is linked to his function as AOC president and starts on January 1.
"The honour of being elected as an IOC member provides me with an even greater opportunity to serve the Olympic movement and make a further contribution to something so close to my heart," Chesterman said.
"I believe in the power of sport to impact lives and communities, and the IOC and the Olympic movement does so much good work around the world creating opportunities for our youth and inspiring the generations to come.
"It's an incredibly exciting time to be involved, particularly with Australia hosting another Olympic Games in 2032.
"I feel I have the knowledge and the background to successfully represent the IOC in Australia."
The Tasmanian-based sports administrator has a long history with the Olympics, having first attended the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary as a media representative.
Since then he has been at a further 11 Olympic Games, leading the Australian Team as Chef de Mission at six Olympic Winter Games (Nagano 1998 to PyeongChang 2018) as well as at Tokyo 2020.
He is the only Australian to have the honour of leading teams across Winter and Summer Games.
The father-of-three has served on the Executive of the Australian Olympic Committee since 2001 and was vice-president from 2016 until being elected president in 2022.
Chesterman will replace IOC vice-president John Coates who is completing his final term. Coates praised his successor.
"As Chef de Mission of seven Winter Olympic and Summer Olympic Games Teams and President of the AOC, Ian has devoted himself to the service of the athletes who are at the core of our movement," he said.
"Ian is ideally qualified to represent and promote the interests of the IOC in Australia and with all his Games' experience, play a key role in the organisation and delivery of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane."
Four-time Australian Olympian Cate Campbell, who is Chair of the AOC Athletes' Commission, also lauded Chesterman.
"I have been fortunate enough to work closely with Ian over many years and can think of no-one better suited to the position," she said.
"Watching Ian in his roles of Chef De Mission for the Tokyo Games and then President of the AOC has been a masterclass in leadership. His collaborative and athlete-centred approach to sports administration is effective and inclusive."