Funeral for Furlong Wife; Canada, Rwanda NOC Elections; WOA Tender

Funeral for Furlong Wife

A funeral service was held Saturday in Vancouver for Deborah Sharp Furlong, the third wife of Vancouver 2010 CEO John Furlong. The funeral was at Christ Church Anglican Cathedral in Vancouver, the same downtown church where VANOC chairman Jack Poole’s funeral was held in October 2009.

Sharp Furlong, 48, died after an April 11 head-on crash on the outskirts of Gorey, Ireland, near Killowen, where she was staying with Furlong. Garda, the Irish national police, are still investigating.

Sharp Furlong’s obituary said she is also survived by children Hayley and Hudson, and their father Robert, from a previous marriage with, her parents Robert and Ester Sharp and her brother Robert. The obituary listed Furlong’s five children from his previous marriages as Sharp Furlong’s stepchildren.

Aubut Re-elected; Facelift for Canada’s Olympic HQ

Marcel Aubut was re-elected as the Canadian Olympic Committee’s president on Saturday, pledging to deliver medals at Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016.

Aubut said there would be more investment in sport, athletes and coaching over the next few years following the COC’s successes in revenue generation, marketing, communications and operations in his first four-year term at the helm.

"We have to increase the pool of potential medalists then convert that pool in a way that is better than any other country. Because our athletes can compete and win against the best in the world, if they are properly supported," he said in a speech at the COC assembly.

To achieve these goals, he promised to strengthen national sports federations and align the country’s fragmented sport governance system.

"Friends, we cannot afford not to do this. We have no other choice. Countries like the Netherlands, Hungary, New Zealand, Russia and many others are progressing very quickly and if we want to stay competitive and ahead, we need to continue to be innovative and aggressive to align our system," he said.

The COC chief also revealed plans to transform the Montreal HQ into a center of sport for athletes and the public.

"It's going to be a unique showcase for Olympics in Canada," Aubut was quoted in The Canadian Press. "It's going to be lots more than the COC offices."

Its opening in September will be followed by a revamp of the COC's Toronto offices.

Aubut announced the closure of the COC’s Ottawa office as part of a cost-cutting drive. To make the COC more productive and efficient, the board of directors unanimously supported the management’s recommendation to transfer the 15 people within the sport team from Ottawa to Montreal.

New Rwanda National Olympic Committee President

Robert Bayigamba is the new president of the Rwanda National Olympic Committee, setting an ambitious goal for the country.

"Rwanda has the potential to become a leading African Nation in sport and it’s up to us to make this dream a reality," he said following Saturday’selection.

He replaces Charles Rudakuban, who served as president for four years.

"He will foster unity, responsibility and professionalism, with the ambition to make sport a pillar of the social and economic development of the country," a statement from the RNOC reads.

Bayigamba is a former member of the national volleyball team and also served as minister of sport.

World Olympians Launches Tender

The World Olympians Association pitched seven agencies for re-design and modernization of its digital presence.

The digitical agency partner would develop and manage online content for the organization.

"The WOA will play a vital role at the heart of the Olympic Movement so it is crucial to have a digital content management partner with the right international experience to help us implement our new programmes and ensure the work of the WOA resonates with the most important people to us – the global network of Olympians, the Olympic family and fans of the Olympic movement," said WOA Executive Director Mike Miller.

"By recruiting a digital agency partner, the WOA will now be in a better position to capitalise on the latest online platforms and channels to promote our new initiatives to Olympians worldwide and help us engage with them effectively.

Written by Ed Hula III.

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