New Zealand Olympic Committee chooses Glen Sowry as new Chair

The New Zealand Olympic Committee has chosen former Olympian Glen Sowry as its new Chair, replacing Diana Puketapu-Lyndon.

Sowry, who competed in the tornado event at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, is currently Chief Executive at Queenstown Airport (a role he will now step down from).

Advising that he is "honoured" to take on the job and build on the work Puketapu-Lyndon has done, advising "I look forward to working collaboratively with the Board, athletes and our diverse range of stakeholders of the NZOC to support our athletes to achieve continued success at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games and to continue to promote the Olympic values and instil pride and excellence in all New Zealanders.”

During his sailing career, Sowry was selected for Sir Peter Blake’s 1985-'86 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race campaign, onboard Lion New Zealand, and went on to sail onboard Steinlager 2, helm the back-up boat for the NZ challenge for the America’s Cup.

He also served on the Yachting NZ high-performance committee and was a Yachting NZ Olympic selector for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

In addition to announcing Lowry’s appointment, NZOC President Liz Dawson acknowledged and thanked Puketapu-Lyndon for her service to the New Zealand Team and NZOC Board. The first Māori woman to chair the organisation, Puketapu-Lyndon, advanced the inclusion of te ao Māori at the NZOC. She also chairs New Zealand Cricket and has worked on two America’s Cup campaigns, with experience in board roles on World Masters Games, Netball Northern and Auckland Football.

During the Assembly, Dawson was reappointed to the role of President of the NZOC and will lead the organisation through the Milano Cortina and Los Angeles Olympic Games. Annette Purvis was reappointed for her final four-year term on the NZOC Board, Meg Matthews was ratified as the newly elected Board Member and Dallas Seymour was also supported to continue as a co-opted member of the NZOC Board for a further 12 months, as the Pou Tikanga. 

NZOC also presented its 2024 Annual Report, with Dawson acknowledging the collective achievements of the past year and thanked organisations for their continued commitment to Olympic and Commonwealth sport. The organisation reported a net surplus of $1.8 million for 2024, bringing the overall performance for the Olympic cycle to near break-even with a small deficit of $5,000. Commercial partnerships contributed 41% of total funding.

Following on from the a successful 2024 Olympic campaign, which saw New Zealand athletes earn 20 medals, including a record 10 golds in Paris, NZOC also presented its updated strategy for 2025-2028. The strategy outlines a framework to support athlete success at major competitions and extend the impact of the Olympic and Commonwealth movements across the country.

Image: Glen Sowry has been elected NZOC Chair. Credit: Queenstown Airport.