For the first time in three years, the OSFO family had the opportunity to meet in person, when the 2022 OSFO Annual General Assembly (AGM) was held at the Sheraton Resort Denarau in Nadi, Fiji on May 5.
Over 20 members were in attendance – both in person and online – after a week of meetings and workshops in Fiji with both the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) and OSFO communities.
After the meeting was opened by OSFO President, Kevan Gosper, the Assembly was treated to a keynote speech by Fiji Olympian, Cheyenne Rova OLY. After over two years of sport being disrupted across the region – and the world – as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cheyenne shared her first hand experience of training as an elite athlete and preparing for the biggest competition of her life under the same conditions; the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The prestigious OSFO Merit Awards for 2022 were also presented in front of all in attendance, to four deserving members of the Oceania sporting fraternity; Bill Ker (Federation of International Touch), Ric Blas (ONOC Secretary General), Andrew Minogue (Pacific Games Council), and Edwina Ricci (currently a member of the OSFO Executive, who has been a member of the Oceania community for many years).
As well as the OSFO membership, many OSFO partners were also in attendance to present to the Assembly, including the Oceania Australia Foundation, Pacific Games Council, Team Up, ONOC and OSEP (the Oceania Sports Education Program).
In terms of OSFO business, as well as presentations from all members of the Executive, two exciting announcements were made to all in attendance.
The first was that OSFO would be overseeing the administration of the Oceania Regional Sport Federation Grant Program, for which applications are due to open shortly.
The second was that OSFO are looking to develop a new Strategic and Operational Plan for the 2022-2026 quadrennial, and will shortly be developing Working Groups for all OSFO members and stakeholders to take part in.
Full details on both of the above topics, as well as copies of all presentations made at this year’s AGM will be made available to all members shortly.
Despite the challenges still associated with planning and travelling to an event of this magnitude, we sincerely thank all who made it to Fiji for the week, and to the meeting online. We hope that as time progresses from the start of the pandemic, it gets easier to meet in these circumstances, more often.