Buckner appointed to BOA board

18 Nov 2021

The British Olympic Association (BOA) today welcomed two new Board members from sports’ governing bodies, following an election of the National Olympic Committee (NOC).

Double-Olympian Jack Buckner, the CEO of British Swimming, is joined by Bill James, the Chair of British Triathlon, in being newly elected to the Board of the BOA. They are accompanied by the returning Georgina Usher, CEO of British Fencing, who was re-elected by the NOC.

Buckner and James were elected to their posts as NGB representatives on the main Board, to replace the departing Sarah Treseder (Sailing) and David Joy (Canoe).

Speaking of their appointments, BOA Chair, Sir Hugh Robertson, said: “Jack and Bill are both very welcome additions to the BOA Board and will provide excellent representation for Olympic sports to supplement our strong independent cohort of Directors. 

“Both sports have excelled in their performances at the Olympic Games and will provide strong support and challenge to the organisation. I am also delighted that Georgina will re-join us. My thanks, once again, go to Sarah Treseder and David Joy for their invaluable contributions.”

Commenting on his election, Buckner said: “I am delighted to serve on the BOA Board. This is a fabulous time for Olympic sport after the great success of Tokyo, and I am looking forward to contributing for the next four years.”

Triathlon’s Chair, James, added: “I’m delighted to join the Board and in doing so I hope to bring with me a non-executive perspective on behalf of the Olympic National Governing Bodies. Coming from a sport that is experiencing success in both performance and commercial terms I hope to work with the Board to share our experiences for the benefit of British Olympic sport.”

Georgina Usher, who has served on the BOA Board since 2019, commented: “I’m pleased to have the confidence of my Governing Body colleagues to be able to continue to contribute to the exciting work that has been going on in British Olympic sport. It is an important time for Olympic sports but a vital period to have a representative voice at the top table.”