Three months have passed since the death of Kevan Gosper, the former President of the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) from 1989 to 2009. His visionary role and outstanding leadership are being honoured every day by the committees across the continent, with a special tribute in the Pacific Islands.
Twenty years. Two decades at the helm of the Olympic Movement in Oceania is a significant period of time. During this time, he earned the respect of all the National Committees and left an indelible mark. His death on 19 July, just before the start of the Olympic Games, at the age of 90, left the continent bereft.
Kevan helped many of the smaller island nations find their place on the world stage through his work to strengthen the Olympic Movement across Oceania. He ensured that Pacific Island athletes had greater access to resources, training opportunities, scholarships and representation at the Olympic Games. His commitment to equality and inclusion enabled athletes from some of the world’s smallest nations to compete alongside the best.
Beyond competition, Kevan Gosper has been instrumental in the development of sports infrastructure, training programmes and education initiatives throughout the Pacific Islands. His efforts led to the creation of stronger National Olympic Committees in the region. He inspired greater participation in sport at all levels. He believed in the power of sport to bring about positive change and his work with ONOC was a testament to that belief.
Kevan’s leadership has left a lasting legacy that will continue to inspire generations of athletes and sports leaders. His memory lives on and ONOC does not hesitate to honour him whenever possible. His love of the Pacific began on his first trip outside Australia. He passed through Fiji on his way to the United States in 1952. Shortly after returning from the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Kevan was recruited in early 1961 as Area Manager for Shell in Papua New Guinea, based in Rabaul on the remote island of New Britain.
Kevan was appointed General Manager for the 1962 Commonwealth Games, leading Papua New Guinea’s first international team. From there, his connection with the Pacific deepened. In 1969, he was appointed Shell’s General Manager for the Pacific Islands, overseeing operations throughout the South West Pacific, including Papua New Guinea. All of this professional knowledge and experience in the Pacific helped Kevan to find his true calling: regional sports leadership.
At a historic meeting at Shell House in Melbourne in 1989, Kevan was elected President of the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC), a position he held with distinction until passing the baton to his Vice-President, Dr Robin Mitchell, at the Annual Congress in Queenstown. The event, attended by IOC President Jacques Rogge, marked the end of Kevan’s influential leadership at the helm of ONOC.
The doyen of ONOC, Kevan remained a steadfast leader in the region, serving as President of the Organisation of Sports Federations of Oceania (OSFO), a position he held until March this year. He also chaired the Oceania Australia Foundation, which he helped to establish in 2007. He continued to lead the Foundation until his death.
For the past three years, Kevan has also taken on the important role of Chair of ONOC’s Home Games Advantage Working Committee in Brisbane. He has guided the strategic direction of the initiative and ensured that it is aligned with the overarching objectives of ONOC and its sport stakeholders for the 2032 Games….PACNEWS/INSIDE THE GAMES
Source link : https://www.postcourier.com.pg/kevan-gospers-legacy-continues-to-guide-olympicism-in-oceania/
Author :
Publish date : 2024-10-07 19:26:26
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
