Accra, March, 31, GNA – Professor Francis Dodoo, President of the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA), has been appointed as the Chairman of the newly created Governance Commission of the World Athletics (WA).
The former President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) is the only African to chair a commission at the World Athletics and it is believed he would bring his rich experience to support the development of athletics, both locally and internationally.
In a statement signed and issued by Mr. Bawa Fuseini, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GAA, Prof. Dodoo would chair a 12-member Governance Commission made up of Sylvia Barlag (Netherlands), Carlota Castrejana (Spain), Dagmar Freitag (Germany), Helio Gesta de Melo (Brazil), Inaki Gomez (Canada) and David Grace (Australia).
The rest are; Leung Hong Shun (China), Jinaro Kibert (Kenya), Sirje Lippe (Estonia), Ronald Russell (ISV) and Norman Wain (USA).
Prof. Dodoo comes to the position with a wealth of international governance experience with service on the IAAF’s inaugural Values Commission, the Commonwealth Games Federation’s Governance and Integrity Commission and as a former of the World Anti-Doping Commission’s committee for athletes.
He also chairs the international governing board of the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) based in Kenya.
The GAA boss was a former national and African triple jump champion, four-time Olympian and held Ghana’s triple jump record between 1987 and 1998. His All African Games record of 17.12m set in Nairobi in 1987 still stands after 33 years.
He won the national sportsman of the year award that year and was later awarded a Grand Medal of the Republic.
GNA