Following the postponement of the 2020 World Archery Oceania (WAO) Championships – due to be held in Fiji in early April – because of the COVID-19 pandemic, WAO decided to hold their Congress via Zoom; the first time any World Archery organisation has used electric means to hold a Congress.
Susanne Womersley from Australia was re-elected as President, and she thanked all Member Associations for placing their trust in her to lead World Archery Oceania for another four years. She is looking forward to continue working with the other members of the Executive Committee and all WAO Member Associations for the ongoing development of the sport of archery within our region.
There was also a vacancy for the position of Treasurer, and congratulations go to Mr George Fong from Fiji on his election. The Executive Committee for World Archery Oceania now consists of the following people:
Mrs Susanne Womersley (AUS) – President (2020 – 2024)
Ms Catherine Gougeon (NCL) – Vice President (2018 – 2022)
Mrs Patsy Vercoe (NZL) – Secretary General (2018 – 2022)
Mr George Fong (FIJ) – Treasurer (2020 – 2024)
The re-elected president confirmed World Archery Oceania’s vision and mission statements:
Our vision is that Archery is a recognised recreational and competitive sport throughout the Oceania Region.
Our mission is that World Archery Oceania will provide the leadership and assistance to facilitate the development of archery in all WAO Member Associations.
This means we will be working together to ensure that in each Member Association, archery is an important recreational and competitive sport that caters for all levels of ability, and that World Archery Oceania is an active participant on the World Archery stage in all aspects of the sport.
At the beginning of Congress, World Archery Secretary General, Mr Tom Dielen, congratulated WAO on the achievements of the past years.
However, there are still a number of things the WAO Executive Committee together with the WAO Development Officer need to continue working towards:
- Devise a World Archery Oceania Strategic Development Plan;
- Assist Member Associations in formulating their own Strategic Development Plans, if required;
- Assist Member Associations in obtaining funding from their National Olympic Committees and other appropriate sources;
- Provide assistance to Member Associations for the introduction of viable and achievable development programs;
- Investigate the development of commercial opportunities, e.g. strategic partnership alliances;
Susanne stated that she would endeavour to the best of her ability to lead an active Executive Committee, and work with all Member Associations to provide archers and National Associations with the best possible conditions to practise the sport. However, she declared that this has to be a joint venture and encouraged all Member Associations to play an active part by collaborating within their own countries and working efficiently with WAO.