OTTAWA (CIS) – The CIS International Committee is proud to announce the election of Coleen Dufresne as an assessor on the Executive Committee of the International University Sports Federation (FISU).
The election was held on Nov. 8 in Lausanne, Switzerland, on the second day of the 34th FISU General Assembly. In addition to new FISU president Oleg Matytsin of Russia, the 23-member Executive Committee appointed for a four-year period (2015-2019) is comprised of a first vice president, four vice presidents, one treasurer, one first assessor, as well as 15 assessors.
Dufresne, the athletic director at the University of Manitoba since 2001 and a current member of the CIS board of directors, has been an active member of FISU since 2004 as a delegate on the International Control Committee. She is only the second Canadian elected to the FISU Executive Committee, following in the footsteps of the late Ed Zemrau, the University of Alberta icon who in 1994 reached the position of first vice president.
"I am very appreciative of the support of my candidacy for FISU assessor extended to me from countries around the world," said Dufresne, the only North American on the committee. "I am looking forward to working with the other members of the Executive in promoting the philosophy and values of university sport, in developing university sport around the world, and in ensuring the best possible international experience for student-athletes, coaches, officials and fans."
Bob Philip and Theresa Hanson, colleagues at the Canada West, CIS and international levels, led the Canadian support of Dufresne's candidacy.
"Coleen will be a knowledgeable and valuable asset to FISU as an assessor on the Executive Committee and I was proud to support her running for this position," expressed Philip, the former CIS president and UBC athletic director, and current vice-chair of the Winter Universiade International Technical Committee. "As an administrator, she has served at the highest levels of university sport in Canada. She was also a very accomplished basketball coach and athlete, having competed for Canada at the Olympics."
"Coleen is an admirable ambassador for Canadian university sport," added Hanson, chair of the CIS International Committee and Canada's chef de mission at the 2013 Summer Universiade in Russia. "She has represented Canada on the national and international stage as an athlete, a coach and an administrator. Her experience, knowledge and passion for university sport are remarkable. On behalf of CIS, I want to congratulate Coleen for her election to the FISU Executive. Her values of integrity, encouragement and professionalism will serve to enhance and strengthen the FISU family."
Dufresne, a graduate of the University of Ottawa who went on to further her education at McGill University and at the University of New Brunswick, is a former national team basketball player who represented Canada at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. She then embarked on a highly successful coaching career, first at UNB (1980-1984) and then at the University of Manitoba (1984-2001), where she guided the Bisons to a trio of CIS national titles and was named CIS coach of the year on three occasions. A native of Halifax who was brought up in Dorion, Que., her international experience patrolling the sidelines includes the world championships and Pan American Games. She was inducted into the Basketball Manitoba Hall of Fame earlier this year.
Since moving into her current administrative post at the U of M, Dufresne has held numerous leadership positions at the national and conference level, including a number of roles on the CIS board of directors and a two-year term as Canada West president from 2005 to 2007. As a FISU delegate on the International Control Committee, she has had the privilege to attend no less than five Universiades and a pair of world university championships over the past decade.
2015-2019 FISU EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President: Oleg Matytsin (Russia)
First Vice President: Leonz Eder (Switzerland)
Vice President: Luciano Cabral (Brazil)
Vice President: Marian Dymalski (Poland)
Vice President: Leopold Germain Senghor (Senegal)
Vice President: Liguo Yang (China)
Treasurer: Bayasgalan Danzandorj (Mongolia)
First Assessor: Verena Burk (Germany)
Assessor: Omar Abdulaziz Al Hai (United Arab Emirates)
Assessor: Tai-Cheng Chen (Taiwan)
Assessor: Kenny Kun-Wah Chow (Hong Kong)
Assessor: Antony St. Claire Davis (Jamaica)
Assessor: COLEEN DUFRESNE (CANADA)
Assessor: Hisato Igarashi (Japan)
Assessor: Peninnah Kabenge (Uganda)
Assessor: Hilkka Laitinen (Finland)
Assessor: Rosaura Mendez Gamboa (Costa Rica)
Assessor: Fernando Parente (Portugal)
Assessor: Malumbete Ralethe (South Africa)
Assessor: Kemal Tamer (Turkey)
Assessor: Kairis Ulp (Estonia)
Assessor: Byong Jin You (South Korea)
Assessor: Kairat Zakiryanov (Kazakhstan)
About FISU
Founded in 1949, FISU stands for Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (International University Sports Federation). FISU's main responsibility is the supervision of the Summer and Winter Universiades, as well as the World University Championships. The General Assembly representing its members (170 National University Sports Federations) is FISU's main governing body. It elects for a four-year period the Executive Committee, which takes all the necessary decisions for the smooth running of FISU. Sixteen permanent commissions advise the Executive Committee in their specialized areas, thus facilitating its duties. FISU is funded through subscription, organizing and entry fees, television incomes and marketing activities. For more information, visit www.fisu.net.