ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado was recently named one of the top sport innovators by SportBusiness International magazine. Casado was also the only woman considered for the Top 20 list, coming in at ninth position ahead of the likes of 2012 London Olympics Chairman Lord Sebastian Coe.
According to SportBusiness International, ‘Casado’s call for the ITU’s mixed-relay to be fast-tracked into the Rio 2016 Games is a smart and timely approach to attract media attention and widen participation in the sport. Riding on the popularity of triathlon following this summer’s Olympics, Casado was shrewd to quickly gain momentum for the mixed-relay by securing the backing of medallists Jonathan Brownlee and Lisa Norden. Casado also ensured the ITU will benefit from this year’s explosion in popularity of the Paralympics, with paratriathlon’s debut confirmed for the 2016 Rio Games.’
The Top 10 list of sports innovators:
- David Abrahm, CEO Channel 4 – Paralympic coverage
- Richard Arnold, Comercial Director of Manchester United
- Michel Platini, President UEFA
- Dietrich Mateschitz, Red Bull co-founder
- Travis Tygart, CEO of USADA
- Dominic Coles, COO of London 2012 at the BBC
- Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Nets and Barclays
- Christian Seifert, CEO German football league
- Marisol Casado: ITU President and IOC Member
- Lord Sebastian Coe, Chairman London 2012
Casado was re-elected as President of ITU for a consecutive term following ITU’s 25th Congress in Auckland last October. In addition to her campaign to include mixed-relay and paratriathlon in the Olympic and Paralympic programmes, she is well known for her commitment to gender equality and support for developing National Federations.
Under her tutelage, the national federation family has grown 20%. ITU is also currently the only Olympic International Federation with a female President and Secretary-General.
Casado has been a strong advocate of maintaining ITU’s balance of female leadership, with 38% of the Executive Board and 42% of table officers women.
