Making sure that the Tokyo Olympics will push through is among Asian Games’ champion Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski’s responsibilities in the International Olympic Committee.
The 46-year-old Cojuangco-Jaworski, who was voted as a member of the IOC’s Executive Board last Friday, said this is one of her duties, aside from accepting her role as chairman of the Olympic body’s education commission.
“Nakatutok ako dito. This has been my exposure,” said Cojuangco-Jaworski in a radio interview.
Cojuangco-Jaworski remains part of the Tokyo Olympics Coordination Commission, which announced that all the venues intended for the Games in 2020 have been secured for next year.
The commission has also confirmed that all 43 competition venues are ready, including the Olympic Village, the International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre that will be used for the Olympic Games in 2021.
The daughter of former Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco’s served for many years as the IOC’s Representative to the Philippines before being elected to the Executive Board of the world’s Olympic body.
“My work and focus now have become global,” she added
Her new post was conferred to her during an online meeting of the IOC’s 136th session.
In the meeting, the first virtual session in the IOC’s history, Cojaungco-Jaworski replaced world champion pole vaulter Sergey Bubka, whose eight-year term on the board came to an end.
Bubka is known to have held the indoor world record of 6.15 meters, set in 1993 in Donetsk before it was broken by France’s Renaud Lavillenie, when he cleared 6.16 metres in 2014.
Cojuangco-Jaworski’s responsibility also revolves around the administration of the IOC and the monitoring of compliance of member countries with the Olympic Charter. Peter Atencio
During the meeting last Friday, IOC President Thomas Bach emphasised the importance of sports in helping the world recover from the COVID-19 crisis. He also recalled the unique power of the Olympic Games to bring the world together in peace and solidarity, and without any discrimination.
As part of the education commission, Cojuangco-Jaworski will help in the development and implementation of an Olympic values education strategy. She will also lead in the advocacy for quality physical education and the integration of values in the school curricula, and promote suitable and age appropriate sports in and out of school settings. Peter Atencio
