Rapilla makes history

PAPUA New Guinea Olympic Committee general secretary Auvita Rapilla was named as the first Papua New Guinean to be part of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics coordination commission.
She and 11 other representatives from around the world were selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the coordination commission to host the 35th edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“We also wish to highlight that IOC member and PNG Olympic Committee (PNGOC) secretary general Auvita Rapilla is one of the appointed members of the coordination commission,” PNGOC said in a statement.
“This is an indication of the country’s development strides and journey in sports, and also a reflection of inclusivity especially for women in sports and leadership in the country.”
Five-time Olympian and two-time Olympic swimming champion Kirsty Coventry, from Zimbabwe, will chair the coordination commission.
The most decorated Olympian from her continent, Coventry was the chairman of the IOC Athletes’ Commission.
In that capacity, she was a member of the IOC board from 2018 until earlier this year when an IOC session in Tokyo, Japan, approved the change of her IOC membership status to individual member.
Sixty-six per cent of the coordination commission members are women, with the number of female chairman of IOC commissions now 12 out of 30.
The coordination commission will be made up of other IOC members who are not on the board, with representatives of the athletes, international federations, national Olympic committees and the International Paralympic Committee.
In addition to the chairman and vice-chairman, there are two members from each continent.
Other members might be added to the current core composition over the next 11 years until the Games.