Wrestlers are getting noticed…

Olympic wrestling champion Carol Huynh has just been named Canada’s assistant chef de mission for the Rio Olympics

The 35-year-old from Hazelton, B.C., made history at the 2008 Beijing Games when she captured Canada’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in women’s wrestling. It was the country’s first medal at those Games.

She went on to win bronze four years later at the London Olympics. She’s also an 11-time Canadian champion, a two-time Pan American champion, a Commonwealth champion and four-time world medallist.
“My Olympic experience has largely defined my life and I’m excited to accompany other athletes along their journeys,” Huynh said. “I have been given an extraordinary opportunity to give back to sport, the Olympic movement and the country. I’m entirely committed to make the best of that opportunity.”

Huynh was a key part of the group that lobbied the International Olympic Committee to keep her sport on the Olympic program after the IOC planned to remove it as of 2020. She and fellow Olympic champion Daniel Igali were part of a six-member team that pleaded wrestling’s case in a presentation to the IOC in St. Petersburgh, Russia
In August 2015, Nenad Lalovic, United World Wrestling President was elected to the International Olympic Committee.

In November 2015, Nenad Lalovic replaced Sepp Blatter as IOC representative to the WADA Commission and Foundation Board.

For 2007-2015, Michael Cavanagh was Chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland (having been a Board member since 2003) and was on the Board that delivered the successful Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Michael trained as a PE teacher and worked for 18 years in public sector sport and leisure management. He currently manages the East of Scotland Institute of Sport, part of the performance sports network in Scotland.  Michael was an international athlete, competing for Scotland and Great Britain in wrestling.

At the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, Mark Montgomery carried the flag for the Northern Ireland team in the opening ceremony

• Article on Carole Huynh in Canada’s Guardian
• Article on Carole Huynh in Insidethegames
• Article on Carole Huynh on UWW website
• IOC Wrestling in Olympics Decision Day – archive
• 2013 IOC Decision Congress – Wrestling presentation team
• Nenad Lalovic IOC election
• Nenad Lalovic and WADA appointment
• Mark Montgomery news item