Quietly but significantly, Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski is making her mark in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and as one of only 24 women among 105 members, she has been appointed to the Coordination Commission for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and will be involved in an extraordinary General Assembly in December to decide on issues related to the Olympic Agenda of 2020.
Mikee, 40, was elected to the IOC last year, garnering 79 of 97 votes to claim a seat. She is one of only 20 Asians in the body. At the IOC Congress in Sochi last February, she participated in the voting of three new IOC members, Poul Erik Hoyer of Denmark, Ole Bjorndalen of Norway and Hayley Wickenheiser of Canada.
“As a new member, I still have a lot to learn,” said Mikee. “I have been appointed to the Coordination Commission for the 2020 Tokyo Games. It is possible that President (Thomas) Bach will appoint me to more commissions if he sees fit. I trust that Mr. Bach will appoint me to the commissions he deems most appropriate based on the meetings we’ve had, his expertise on functions within the IOC and the direction he takes the IOC to. A few weeks after the Buenos Aires session last year, Mr. Bach called me in Manila to inform me that he was appointing me to the Coordination Commission. On the evening of the Saturday that Yolanda hit the Philippines, I again received a call from him expressing his concern for our country and assuring that the IOC will extend assistance towards the repair of sports infrastructure in the hard-hit areas. In January, there was a seminar for the new IOC members in Lausanne where he spoke to us as a group, had meals with us on the days we were there and conducted one-on-one meetings with each new member.”
Mikee said it is inevitable that she will always represent the interests of developing nations, women and athletes in discussions with the IOC. “This is where I come from and this is what I know first hand,” she said. “Another thing that makes me appreciate the IOC more is that according to IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper, this is what I bring to the table and that is very much welcomed by the IOC. After all, having all interests represented will improve the universality and sustainability of sports for the entire world which is the goal of the IOC.”
Before even considering to be a candidate for the IOC, Mikee said she did a lot of soul-searching and sought the advice of her husband Dodot and father Jose who is the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president.
“More than advice, they offered support, as did my Mom, sisters, father-in-law and mother-in-law,” continued Mikee, a mother of three boys. “I think my Dad is mainly proud of me becoming an IOC member. As for Dodot, what I appreciated the most is the way he expressed how proud he is of me and said that he knew our lives, as a family, would change because of it, most importantly, that I have his complete support because he wants me to be able to make a significant contribution to the world of sport. I guess that really is the only thing that would make the lifestyle changes and sacrifices worth it.
“You see, before I applied for IOC membership, we had a very serious discussion about whether or not it was the right thing to do considering that my priority is really our young family. We considered as many factors as we could think of and also consulted other family members so when we made the decision that I should go for it, it was a 100 percent team effort. I could not have made the decision on my own because as we are seeing even in this early stage, my commitments as an IOC member have an effect on everyone around me, even the riders whom I coach. Everybody has helped in their own way in order that I may fulfill my commitments as an IOC member so far. Yes, it is only the beginning.”
Mikee said Bach’s predecessor Dr. Jacques Rogge paved the way for a smooth transition and must be recognized for his achievements. “Dr. Rogge has countless accomplishments,” she said. “But those with the most impact and recall are that he made the IOC a very financially stable organization, his initiatives on fair play and sportsmanship especially through the IOC’s fight against doping and illegal sports betting, giving women and athletes a strong voice within the IOC and the birth of the Youth Olympic Games. I think Mr. Bach is doing a great job already and believe he will continue to do so.”
It was Dr. Rogge who interviewed Mikee before her candidacy was presented to the IOC Executive Board. “The first thing Dr. Rogge told me was that, considering my many commitments, I would really need to make myself available to serve the Olympic Movement in the best way possible,” said Mikee. “That said, I observed in Sochi that the IOC also shows consideration for practical facts of life such as that many of the members are parents to young children, need to earn a living and have other important duties to fulfill outside of the IOC.”
Today, Dr. Rogge remains involved with the IOC as the honorary president. Aside from the 105 IOC members, the organization recognizes 33 honorary members (one of whom is the Philippines’ Francisco Elizalde) and Dr. Henry Kissinger as an honor member. Elizalde is chairman of the IOC Nominations Commission and member of the Ethics Commission.
In tomorrow’s column, Mikee will take up the issues of including more athletes from developing countries in the Olympics, introducing new sports in the Olympic program, her role in the POC as an IOC member, the plan to put up a Philippine Academy of Sports and the chase for the Philippines’ first Olympic gold medal.