In Search of the Best Voice for Athletes

(ATR) An Olympian delivers his candid opinion on this week's International Athletes Forum in Lausanne.

A record 350 athletes from 185 NOCs convened over the past three days in Lausanne. Nine recommendations from the meeting are being sent to the IOC executive board.

U.S. Luge Olympic silver medalist and International Luge Federation (FIL) Athletes Commission chair Chris Mazdzer offers his insight and shares perspective on the roles and effectiveness of Athlete Commissions.

"Six years ago in Singapore it was more or less just IF AC chairs because the Athletes’ Commission of the IOC realized they needed to begin communication, letting athletes understand that they can talk with them," said Mazdzer, who engaged in his third IAF these past three days in Lausanne.

"Initially, it was just like learning that there are tools in place – the IOC Athletes’ Commission with Thomas Bach created a framework that International Federations should follow.

"You go to these and you don’t know what’s coming at you, but after the first one I felt empowered that the IOC is behind really supporting Athletes Commission and giving them resources."

Mazdzer, 30, said that over his seven years with the FIL AC, he has witnessed significant progress including increases to five members, a seat and a vote on the FIL executive board and gender equality.

Athletes attending the ninth edition of the forum participated in Q&A’s, including with IOC President Thomas Bach, and various sessions about topics and issues such as mental health, anti-doping and athlete commission funding. It appeared the level of networking between the diverse group of athlete participants reached uncharted territory.

"What’s amazing is hearing all the issues of all the other athlete commissions and brainstorming and understanding what some people are doing right, what I’m doing wrong, how we can make it better, but also making connections," Mazdzer tells Around the Rings in Lausanne.

Mazdzer, a three-time Olympian who has been competing internationally since 2001, was recently elected by his fellow lugers for another four-year term as FIL AC chair.

"The number one job of the athletes commission is to listen to the athletes," Mazdzer says. "I don’t have all of the answers, but the biggest thing for me is to listen to the problems and then to know where to go and know what to do with it.

"There are a lot of issues that arrive during a season – you talk about TV and sponsorships, equipment and technology, and rules and interpretations of rules, or the athletes don’t like how the out-run is set up.

"I love the fact that people feel like they can talk to me about all these things."

The American luger also revealed that he is currently working on a new initiative for all athletes to reduce their global carbon footprints.

Mazdzer, who now does double duty with the U.S. Luge team in both singles and doubles, sees two sides when it comes to the highly-debated Rule 40 in the Olympic Charter. The rule prevents athletes from using their likenesses for advertising purposes during the Olympic Games. The IOC contends Rule 40 protects the exclusivity of the Olympics and its sponsors, a key part of driving up commercial revenues that are an important part of funding games organizers, NOCs, and IFs.

"I understand the IOC’s position – they have a privilege of gaining all of this money at the Olympics and then they give it back," says the veteran Olympic athlete. "They do it through Olympic Solidarity and other means.

"I also understand the athletes - luge is a small sport, you train your entire life and there really is only a two-week window where the spotlight is on you," he says. "In the smaller sports, this is our only chance.

"I want to fight for the athletes, but I also understand there is a framework for funding from the IOC and they rely on that," Mazdzer says, while revealing that he currently has no sponsors despite his PyeongChang Olympic silver medal.

However, Mazdzer has capitalized on public speaking opportunities and gained notoriety while appearing as a celebrity participant on the popular U.S. series Dancing with the Stars.

Like a world-class luger speeding 140 kilometers-per-hour (87 mph) down a sinuous track, Mazdzer insists that Athlete Commissions are also rapidly accelerating when it comes to engagement at the highest level and tackling athlete-oriented issues.

"One-hundred percent…we have better communication than ever before, but there’s also more information and resources than ever before," Mazdzer said.

"The IOC Athletes’ Commission has been absolutely fantastic creating all these resources, this platform and over-communicating.

"It does get overwhelming, but it’s a good problem to have," he says. "Athletes have a lot of resources, we just have to simplify it a little bit."

Written and reported by Brian Pinelli in Lausanne

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