The Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) opened the 46th ONOC Annual General Assembly (AGA) at the Hilton Auckland Thursday, welcoming International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry to her first General Assembly in the region since assuming office.
The opening was marked by a traditional Māori pōwhiri, remarks from New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) President Liz Dawson and ONOC President Baklai Temengil-Chilton, and the presentation of a prestigious IOC gender equality award to a leading Oceania changemaker.
The Assembly is the centrepiece of ONOC’s AGA Week (17–23 May), bringing together NOC Presidents, Secretaries General, athlete delegates, IOC members and partners from across the 17 National Olympic Committees of Oceania. It is the first General Assembly President Temengil-Chilton has chaired since taking office, and was framed around ONOC’s Fit for Purpose and RESET agenda, a deliberate pause to refocus, realign and strengthen the organisation ahead of Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032.
In her opening address, President Temengil-Chilton described the past week as ONOC’s “open door days,” reflecting on a period of honest dialogue, shared learning and renewed partnership across the region.
She placed the Oceania athlete voice at the centre of governance, telling delegates that athletes attending the Athletes’ Forum were “not here merely as observers, but as active contributors to this Assembly.”
“Together means solidarity. Together means inclusion. Together means no nation, no island, and no athlete stands alone,” said Baklai Temengil-Chilton, President, ONOC
President Temengil-Chilton said the RESET process was grounded in the courage to listen more and to be more inclusive, transparent and accountable, reminding members that “progress does not come from waiting at closed doors. It comes from being prepared to walk through the open ones — together, with purpose, courage, and belief in what we can achieve as one sporting community.”
Addressing the Assembly, President Coventry spoke warmly of returning to Oceania, where her own Olympic journey began at Sydney 2000.
She thanked the NZOC for its hospitality and the cultural welcome extended to the IOC delegation, and reflected on the power of sport to unite people in an increasingly divided world.
Coventry affirmed that ONOC’s renewal carried the full support of the IOC, describing it as a brave step taken in a time of rapid change and one that mirrors the IOC’s own Fit for the Future process.
“This region really will light up the world in the years to come, and you all will inspire the next generation of our Olympic Movement,” said Kirsty Coventry, President, IOC
President Coventry encouraged Oceania leaders to embrace robust, respectful debate as the pathway to stronger governance, trust and credibility, noting that meaningful change requires being “comfortable being uncomfortable.”
She drew on the philosophy of Ubuntu, “I am because we are” to underline the collective spirit she has long admired in Oceania, and pointed to regional initiatives such as the Oceania Sport Education Programme and the Wahine Toa leadership work as examples of the region investing in people and capability.
She also acknowledged former ONOC President and IOC Member Dr Robin Mitchell and paid tribute to the late Kevin Gosper for the foundation they helped build.
The opening also saw President Coventry present the IOC Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Champions Award for the Oceania region to Robin Kober, following her nomination by the NZOC. Kober was recognised for more than three decades of leadership advancing gender equality, safeguarding and inclusive practice across New Zealand and the wider Pacific, including her work with the Wahine Toa and Wahine Toa Oceania programmes and the ONOC Equity Commission.
“This recognition is not mine alone. It reflects the collective effort of communities, organisations, and colleagues across Aotearoa and the wider Pacific, who are committed to making sport a place where everyone belongs,” said Robin Kober, 2025 IOC JEDI Champions Award recipient, Oceania
President Temengil-Chilton closed the opening by acknowledging ONOC’s partners — the IOC, ANOC, the Oceania Paralympic Committee, Olympic Sports Federations Oceania, the Commonwealth Games movement, ORADO, government partners, LA28 and Brisbane 2032 and reaffirmed that the standards, systems and partnerships strengthened this week will shape Oceania’s journey to Los Angeles 2028, the 2027 Pacific Games in Tahiti, and a home Games at Brisbane 2032.
