Current Athlete Representation Models with Beckie Scott and Han Xiao

Just because you’re elected to a position of power doesn’t mean you can make the changes you want. Beckie Scott joins Noah to discuss her experiences with both the WADA Athlete Committee and IOC Athletes’ Commission and the ups and downs of athlete representation and power in international sport governance.

In this episode, we talk about…

What drove Beckie to get involved in the WADA Athlete Committee and IOC Athletes’ Commission
Details about Beckie’s experience within WADA AC
What professional support Beckie received while working with WADA AC
Why Beckie chose to become a part of the IOC AC
An insider’s perspective about the power, loyalty and perks given to IOC AC’s members
The influence of the IOC AC over WADA
Making athletes feel important vs. listening to and acting on athlete’s concerns
What Beckie believes is the only way athletes can shape the future of sport

Memorable Quotes:

“It was really important that athletes know that we weren’t aligned with the leadership and the decision-making body at that time, that we felt very strongly on behalf of athletes that this was not representative of their rights and was not representative of clean sport and the right direction to go at all.”
“I think the future does lie with independent organizations...either the NOC Athlete Commissions becoming independent or the international federations...are really good starts and are probably gonna shape the way forward.”

Guest Bio:

Beckie Scott is an Olympic gold and silver medalist in cross-country skiing. She was a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Athlete Committee from 2005-2018, during which time she also served as chair of the committee, and she served on WADA’s Foundation Board and on the WADA Executive Committee.

In 2006, she was also elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission. She served a full 8-year term ending in 2014. She’s also worked for the Canadian Olympic Committee and was on the board of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games Organizing Committee. In 2019, she was officially appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Links to resources:

Beckie Scott

World Anti-Doping Agency’s Athlete Committee

International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission

Follow Beckie on Twitter @BeckieScott4 and follow Global Athlete @GlobalAthleteHQ. Get in touch at [email protected] and join the movement at globalathlete.org.