Joe Morissette is going from the hardwood to the water and road as the executive director of Badminton sa国际传媒 will become the new CEO of Victoria-based Triathlon sa国际传媒.
The 47-year-old quipped he isn’t being hired for his athletic prowess but for other attributres: “I was not hired for my skill on the court in badminton. The same applies here. I’ve never been in a bike saddle or a race. But I feel I bring administrative skills. To be successful, we must … grow the sport in sa国际传媒 while investing in developing the athlete pipeline and making sure it is strong for Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028… [so] that it will ultimately deliver more Olympic and Paralympic podium performances for sa国际传媒.”
Morissette will split his time between Victoria and Ottawa beginning May 18. He takes over from interim CEO Lucy Smith of Victoria, the former running and triathlon international. Smith steadied the ship after some turbulent times following the departure of embattled former national team head coach Jono Hall, who stepped down last summer and returned to Australia after six years in Victoria.
Veteran mentor Patrick Kelly of Victoria, former national training centre head coach, was hired back into the fold this year as new Triathlon sa国际传媒 high-performance director after building up the Japanese men’s national team.
Morissette will co-ordinate the different moving parts of the Canadian program as it builds for the 2024 Paris Olympics with stops this summer at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, next year at the 2023 Santiago, Chile, Pan Am Games and the regular World Cup and World Series circuits. The 2022 world championships are in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in the fall.
“It’s about building strong relationships,” said Morissette.
“Our athletes are coast to coast. That’s the reality of the second largest country in world. That makes the time together [centralized in Victoria] all that more important. It’s a complicated system, but I feel I bring lot of experience to help with the alignment of 10 provincial organizations dovetailing in complementary fashion.”
