By: Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC)
Celebrating a Year of Oceania Sports Excellence
As we conclude an extraordinary year for sports in Oceania, we are proud to present a summary of the ONOC corporate events that we shared on our digital platforms across the last 12 months.
Q1-24 – JANUARY TO MARCH
Our year began in January with an ONOC Executive Board Meeting at ONOC House in Suva, Fiji and the finalization of the Programme and Work Plans for 2024 under the caveat of the ONOC Strategic Plan Framework for 2021-2024.
February saw the strategic delivery of our OSEP activities and an in-person meeting of the ONOC Education Commission in Nadi, Fiji.
The ONOC 2024 Annual General Assembly was the signature activity for Quarter One bringing together NOC leaders from ONOC’s membership including partners and stakeholders.
The XLIV ONOC Annual General Assembly held at the Sheraton Resort and Spa in Nadi, Fiji was also attended by the IOC President Thomas Bach. ONOC Commission meetings were also held on the side of the ONOC General Assembly.
Preparations for the Paris 2024 Games were picking up pace.
Q2-24 – APRIL TO JUNE
The second quarter marked several institutional developments with groundbreaking progress in sports education with ASCA accreditation by the OSEP team.
Our OSEP team continued to deliver needs-based in-country programmes in collaboration with OSEP Educators on ground.
The Solomon Islands hosted the Paris 2024 Taekwondo Oceania Qualifiers in April while the Oceania Athletics Championships were hosted in Suva, Fiji in June.
The Micronesian Games were hosted in the Marshall Islands mid-June which saw the ONOC Athletes’ Commission delivering a Voices of the Athletes (VOA) outreach programme.
Preparations for the Paris 2024 Games included an Oceania Webinar on Competition Manipulation by the IOC’s Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions.
Olympic Day on 23 June was celebrated at the ONOC Secretariat through a joint activation with the Embassy of France in Suva.
Q3-24 – JULY TO SEPTEMBER
The 3rd Quarter marked our Olympic journey with the Launch of the ONOC Pre-Games Training Camp in Divonne-les-Bains in France.
The set-up and historic arrival of our Oceania Warriors to the Games Village in Paris.
Our 15 Pacific NOCs had a total of 104 athletes competing in 12 disciplines in Paris. Of the 104 athletes – 45 were female and 59 male athletes. In addition to Fiji’s Men’s Rugby 7s silver medal, our Pacific athletes recorded 14 personal bests and set 4 national records in athletics and swimming.
Team Australia had a total of 469 athletes competing in 33 disciplines in Paris. They bagged a total of 53 Medals of which 18 were Gold. Team Australia ranked 4th on the overall Medal Tally – making it their most successful Olympic campaign to date.
Team New Zealand had a total of 204 athletes competing in 23 disciplines in Paris. They bagged a total of 20 Medals of which 10 were Gold. Team New Zealand ranked 11th in the overall Games Medal Tally.
The ONOC Games Support Programme for Paris included the coordination of Oceania House for our 15 Pacific NOCs the OLV – that we delivered in collaboration with the Australian Olympic Committee. ONOC facilitated 3 Safeguarding Officers for our 15 Pacific NOCs in collaboration with the PNG, Nauru and Guam NOCs. For the first time we activated an Athletes Lounge and delivered an Athlete Support Programme in collaboration with the ONOC Athletes’ Commission at Oceania House at the OLV. ONOC delivered a Communications Project for Pacific-Centric photography and editorial content and our “Warriors of Oceania” campaign in collaboration with the NOCs of New Zealand, Fiji and Palau, Oceania Athletics and the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA).
In July ONOC and all of Oceania Sport paid tribute to one of the greatest sporting sons of Oceania, our former President and IOC Vice President Kevan Gosper. Among the many things Kevan Gosper achieved in Oceania and in the Olympic Movement globally, we in the Pacific Islands remember him for being among the few who recognised the capacity of Pacific Islanders and who left a legacy where Pacific Islanders could gain an equal footing with others to manage and lead the Continent.
In September ONOC launched University Alliance Programme in Queensland to Elevate Pacific Sport as a Legacy of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Q4-24 – OCTOBER TO DECEMBER
The final quarter featured important initiatives to round out the year and this quadrennium.
The ONOC Equity Commission and NZOC convened the Emerging Female Leaders Workshop in Auckland, New Zealand.
ONOC was on ground to attend the Pacific Games Council 2024 Annual General Meeting in Palau.
The ONOC Athletes’ Commission convened the 6th Oceania Athletes’ Forum in Nadi, Fiji.
ONOC and its membership attended the 2024 ANOC Annual General Assembly in Cascais, Portugal.
ONOC Secretaries-General gathered in Guam for an ONOC Planning Workshop to which covered (a) Strategic Plans (b) Governance and Compliance (c) High Performance and (d) Stakeholder Management.
Preparations for the Palau 2025 Mini Games saw a joint project between The Reporters Academy and the Palau National Olympic Committee to cover Team Oceania’s participation in the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Budapest.