Blick hopeful Uganda will benefit from his new ‘big’ IOC position

William Blick believes the future of the country’s sport is on the right track after he was elected as an Individual Member to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) president achieved the new status during the recent 136th IOC session, the first to be held via videoconferencing.
“Uganda has an individual who sits in the highest office of sport in the world,” Blick told Daily Monitor.

Blick is the second African to have his status elevated. However, former UOC president Francis Nyangweso was the first Ugandan to join the IOC in 1988.
“(It is) an office (that) the Fifa president and that of World Athletics have just joined.”
“I will be able to influence decisions for Uganda such as hosting events, acquisition of donations among others and this can be made easier through IOC Members,” the former rugby player stated.

Blick has been part of the IOC Board as a Member representing a National Olympic Committee (NOC) since 2018.
“My (2018) election was linked to me being NOC president. My UOC term expires February 2021 due to the two-term limit as per the constitution,” he noted.
“I am now elected as an individual for eight years renewable until 70 years (constitutional age limit at IOC),” the 45-year-old said.
Mathematically, it means that he can serve on the IOC board for another two decades. But how will his roles change going forward?

“I will still sit on the UOC executive. I will not fully be under the IOC working on commissions,” he stated.
Blick has been sitting on the IOC commissions for marketing (since 2017), women in sport (2020) as well as the boxing taskforce (2019). He is also the deputy chair Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) Games Coordination commission.

During Blick’s reign as UOC boss, Uganda has won one Olympic medal - gold by Stephen Kiprotich at the London 2012 Games and three more at the Youth Olympics at Nanjing 2014 and Buenos Aires 2018. At the same session, IOC Members’ list increased to 104 following the addition of World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, Cuban Maria de la Caridad Ruenes, Croat Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Saudi Arabian Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud and Mongolian Battushig Batbold.

PROFILE
BLICK AT A GLANCE
Full Name: William Frederick Blick
Born: October 17, 1974
Position: Uganda Olympic Committee president
Affiliation: IOC Member
Entry to IOC: 2018
Sports practiced: Rugby, football, athletics, cricket, motocross, BMX and motor rallying
OTHER ACTIVITIES
The Duke of Edinburgh International Award Foundation, UK Represented Africa (2015-2016); Chairman, Duke of Edinburgh Award Uganda (2015)
AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
l Rugby Player of the Year 1992 (Uganda Sports Press Association);
l National Clubman Rally Champion (2006);
l Double National Motocross (Winning coach 2016 and 2017)