IOC Communications Chief Moves On

(ATR) IOC communications director Giselle Davies tells Around the Rings the timing is right for her to leave her post, her resignation announced Friday.

"After the phenomenal high of the Beijing Olympics, after six years in Lausanne, I think it’s the best time to leave, to start a new chapter," Davies tells Around the Rings.

Her departure follows the successful close of the Beijing Olympics, although the IOC and BOCOG both had a tough time with the press. The once daily press conferences were scaled-back for the second week of the Games, ostensibly to reflect the lack of news to report. But the breaks also provided a respite from the snares of difficult questions posed by the western journalists. At one point, a European journalist challenged the sincerity of Davies’ smile.

"Beijing was a challenge, but that’s part of the job," says Davies, insisting that testy press conferences did not factor into her decision to leave the IOC.

A source at the IOC outside of Davies’ department tells Around the Rings there is no indication that her resignation came for reasons other than a desire for a change, not any unhappiness by bosses over Beijing.

Davies was on the front line of controversy for the IOC during the Olympics she served as spokeswoman. In Athens she caught flack for brandishing the credentials surrendered by two Greek sprinters involved in a drugs scandal. In Turin, Davies had to deal with the aftermath of the police raid carried out against Austrian athletes suspected of blood doping.

Davies, 39, joined the IOC in 2002 after a career in public and media relations that included a stint with a Formula 1 racing team.

She built a communications team for the IOC during her tenure to the largest size ever for that department.

Davies will remain with the IOC until the end of November, allowing her to take part in the debriefing that will take place that month in London between Beijing organizers and London 2012 staff.

Davies says she has no professional plans post-IOC, but will return to her home in London. Close to her parents, one or both could often be seen in the audience during Olympic press conferences. Her father Barry is a revered presenter for BBC, known for his Match of the Week broadcasts.

Written by Ed Hula.