Retired American swimmer Janet Events is one of two new members appointed to the executive committee of the World Olympians Association (WOA), the organization announced this week.
Evans joins New Zealand track and field athlete Chantal Brunner on the committee. It brings the WOA’s executive committee to 20 members and strengthens the organization’s commitment to gender diversity. The two appointees mean that, per the WOA release, the executive committee has “an equal number of male and female representatives from all five continents”.
Evans won four Olympic gold medals as one of the world’s most outstanding distance swimmers, with world and national records that endured for years. She competed at the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympics and qualified for Olympic Trials as recently as 2012. Evans is the Chief Athlete Officer of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic committee. She helped secure the Games as the Vice Chair of LA’s bid committee.
“I’m delighted to be joining WOA’s EXCO and to open up more opportunities for Olympians across the world,” Evans said in a WOA release. “I hope to use my experiences as a sports administrator to help my fellow Olympians make a positive impact in their communities.”
“Appointing Chantal and Janet to WOA’s EXCO will strengthen our organization as both bring considerable expertise and are highly respected within the Olympic Movement,” said WOA president Joel Bouzou. “As Olympians and as sports administrators, Chantal and Janet share WOA’s values and I know they will further our cause of supporting Olympians at every stage of their lives. I look forward to working alongside them in the coming years.”
The full list of WOA Executive Committee members is here.