Sandrine Bellet of Bruges (31) has been appointed by the World Olympic Federation as the first WOA Development Officer for Africa. “I should try to make sure that every country in Africa has a working NOA, and help create a NOA if the country doesn’t already have one.”
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The World Olympic Association (WOA) brings together 96 National Associations of Olympians (NOAs) around the world, covering all five continents. They, as an umbrella body and network, organize events for Olympians and implement projects that can support their local communities. “We want Olympians, whether they are active or after their sporting career, to set up projects in which they give something back to their community. This can be done, for example, in terms of climate, recycling, or involving young people or old people in sports,” says Sandrine. Primary billet. “An Olympic athlete may add these three letters to his or her name. It is a kind of nickname to make the network of Olympic players around the world stronger.” WOA’s mission is to make the world a better place through athletes. NOA itself is formed by state by a community of all Olympians who align with WOA’s vision to provide activities that support WOA’s mission and strategic plan. “We have our own laws, but our budget comes from the IOC and we are also based in their headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.” Sandrine Bellet (WRL 35) of Sint-Michiels was good at 11 national championship medals at the time and already had great experiences in judo, including several foreign championships and participating in the Student Olympic Games in 2009 and 2013. She graduated as a master Science (TEW) at Ghent University, but since she was interested in all things sports sponsorship, she was offered a job there and did research for the Department of Sports Management and Sports Federations of the World. For example, Sandrine was transferred to Cape Verde, where she received Cape Verdean citizenship as a second citizenship for her assistance to the country. In May 2021, the Bruges woman was good for a silver medal in the African Championships, collected enough points on the world ranking and was able to participate in the Olympic Games in the -63 kg category. The dream has come true As a development officer, Sandrine now has two main missions. “I should try to make sure that every country in Africa establishes its own NOA, if countries don’t already have one. Like Lesotho for example. I will try to get something like that with the people there.” “The second challenge is to make better African countries that already have a NOA job.” The Bruges judoka team will be the development officer for Africa, followed by Asia and North and South America. “There is no one for Europe yet. Together with my colleagues, we also take care of the European countries. For the Belgian National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, I will work closely with Kim Geffert, who heads it.” (ACR)
