Austin Sealy has a long and impressive record in sports administration, having served on the executive committees of the Barbados Amateur Basketball Association (BABA) and the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA).
He was president of the AAA from 1969 to 1976 and from 1981 to 1988.
Sealy inaugurated the CARIFTA Games in 1972. These Games, which have become an annual event on the track and field calendar, is the primary vehicle for the development of young athletes in the region.
He was awarded an IAAF Veterans Pin and in 2001 was awarded the IAAF Plaque of Merit for his contribution to athletics over the years.
In 1972, Sealy was elected to the council of the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA), became treasurer in 1974 and eventually president in 1982, a position he held until 1996.
He is currently the immediate past president.
On the international scene, at the 103rd International Olympic Committee (IOC) session, Sealy was elected as a member of the IOC, the first Barbadian and the second person from the English-speaking Caribbean to be appointed to this body.
He has served as a member of the Olympic Solidarity Commission as well as a member of the executive board of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).
Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC, noted in a congratulatory letter sent in December 2010 when Sealy was honoured by the BOA for his contribution to sport and the Olympic Movement in Barbados: “Austin has been an active and valued member in the world of sport at both the national and international levels, first as an athlete who competed for the Barbados team and subsequently as a sports leader who has played an important role in many areas, including 14 years as President of the Barbados Olympic Association.
“Austin joined the IOC in 1994 and has since been a key figure on various IOC commissions. He contributed to the success of the Games in Beijing in 2008 through his work on the IOC’s Coordination Commission and is currently putting his extensive expertise to good use in his role on the Coordination Commission for the 2012 Games in London.”
Sealy was recently re-elected treasurer of the Commonwealth Games Federation, a position he has held since 1985 and he also served on the Coordination Committee for the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.
In 1985, Austin was awarded one of Barbados’ highest honours – the Silver Crown of Merit (SCM).
• This bio was provided by the Barbados Olympic Association.
