Branwen Smith-King will take up her new post as secretary-general of the Bermuda Olympic Association on Monday. The former track and field athlete, whose career in athletics spanned 35 years when she represented the island at Pan Am, Commonwealth and the Carifta Games, will take on the full-time position from Stanley Douglas who served in the same position on a part-time basis for three years. He has been named second vice-president. “Due to the increased demands on the BOA’s administrative team in managing relationships with global sports organisations and their associated committees, Mrs Smith-King will work full time as secretary general,” the BOA said yesterday. Smith-King served as the executive director of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation since 2017, an organisation she joined working at Tufts University where she served as head women’s track and field/cross-country coach and assistant director of athletics. She has also held several NCAA committee sport leadership positions during her career which helped establish programmatic and policy protocols for its membership. Smith-King holds the distinction of winning Bermuda’s first medal at the inaugural Carifta Games in Barbados in 1972 where she won the gold in the shot put. She later attended Springfield College in Massachusetts and LSU for undergraduate and graduate studies. She has also served as an athletic trainer for several of Bermuda’s national sports teams. Judy Simons, BOA president, welcomed Smith-King to the BOA, saying: “We are so pleased that Branwen has agreed to take up the post of secretary-general. “With her background as an athlete and coach, and latterly as an executive in a local charitable organisation, she has the perfect background and experience to fill the demands of this important role and help the BOA continue to assist in the development of Bermuda’s elite athletes and ensure their participation at major international sports festivals. “We look forward to having Branwen on board. “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Stanley Douglas for his many contributions to the BOA as secretary-general. We are pleased that he will continue to be part of the BOA executive team.” Meanwhile, the Bermuda Olympic Association Athletes’ Commission will hold an athletes forum next Sunday from 11.30am to 4pm at the National Sports Centre north field pavilion. The forum, which is intended to become an annual event, is open to all local athletes and coaches and will provide detailed information about new trends in athlete development, the BOA Stars programme and funding opportunities that are available through Olympic Solidarity. There will be four panel discussions, the IOC/Pan Am Sports Presentation, the Olympic Solidarity Funding, Athlete Development and New Trends in Sport. The panellists will included Smith-King, former athletes, diver Katura Horton-Perinchief, swimmer Julian Fletcher, track and field athletes Brian Wellman and Hazel Clark and luge competitor Patrick Singleton. Also on the panel are Brenda Dale, a BOA executive, Donna Raynor, president of the Bermuda National Athletics Association, Peter Dunn of the Bermuda Bicycle Association and Craig Brown of the Bermuda Golf Association. “Following the very successful conference on athlete development the BOA held last month for national sports governing bodies, this forum brings information about new trends and ideas in athletes’ development, plus information about funding opportunities directly to our young athletes and their coaches,” Simons said. “It’s a great opportunity to hear how the BOA can help them on their journeys to success.”Those interested in attending the forum should RSVP to Olympics@ibl.bm. The athletes’ forum is open to members of the public and national sports governing body members.