Mikee welcomed by IOC

Newly-elected IOC member Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski said recently she was engrossed in observing the process of selecting the site of the 2020 Summer Olympics during the governing body’s 125th session in Buenos Aires. It was also at the September session where Mikee and eight others were voted into the IOC.

“I absorbed all the excitement,” said the 2002 individual showjumping gold medalist at the Asian Games. “It was very nice to see the joy of the winner and at the same time, sad as I also felt for those who were not selected. Many elders were telling me how it is always like this and unlike the Olympics where there are three medals to be won, in this situation, there is only one winner. Therefore, the victory is sweeter and the defeat, more painful.”

Tokyo, Istanbul and Madrid were the contenders for the right to host the 2020 Games. Rome had previously withdrawn its bid while Baku and Doha weren’t elevated to candidate status. In the first round of voting, Tokyo took 42 votes and Istanbul and Madrid tied with 26 each. Another vote was taken to break the tie and determine the finalist with Tokyo. In the run-off, Istanbul edged Madrid, 49-45. Tokyo eventually clinched it with a 60-36 vote over Istanbul.

Mikee, 39, isn’t the youngest among the 111 IOC voting members. There are eight who are younger. The youngest in the roster is Slovakia’s Danka Bartekova, 29. She was a bronze medalist in skeet shooting at the London Olympics last year. Mikee and Bartekova are among 24 females in the IOC. Mikee, who garnered 79 of 97 votes to claim a seat in the IOC, is one of only 23 Asians in the organization.

Mikee said she has not been assigned any commission to participate in at the moment. “Everyone was welcoming at the IOC session and since there are quite a few members younger than me, I didn’t feel it was a significant consideration,” she said. “Since we have a fixed seating arrangement and the candidates for membership were placed together, not to mention that we were all in the same position of anxiously awaiting our election, there was an immediate bond among the nine of us. There were members I’ve worked with before like Princess Haya of Jordan, the president of the equestrian International Federation, and colleagues from the Olympic Council of Asia Athletes Commission, Yang Yang from China and David Moon from Korea. Then, of course, there was our Mr. Frank Elizalde.”

Elizalde, the Philippines’ second IOC member after Jorge Vargas, retired as a voting member when he reached 80 last year but remains active in the body as chairman of the Nominations Commission and member of the Ethics Commission. He is one of 32 honorary IOC members along with FIBA secretary-general emeritus Borislav Stankovic and legendary Kenyan runner Kip Keino.

Regarding the selection of Tokyo as site of the 2020 Olympics, Mikee said she was not involved in the voting but attended the session where the candidate cities made a final push for their bids.

“On the first day of the session, the cities made their presentations after which there was a secret voting done using electronic equipment,” she recounted. “A majority of votes is always needed before a winner can be declared. That’s why there was a second round of voting where only Tokyo and Istanbul participated since neither garnered a majority in the first round. The results were not announced until later in the day in a different room which was open to all the presenters of the candidate cities, the media, guests and the IOC session.”

Mikee’s term in the IOC is for eight years. From all indications, she will make a major impact as the Philippine representative in the IOC.

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The Department of Dermatology of the Makati Medical Center is celebrating its 25th year as a training institution with a series of events highlighted by a post-graduate course entitled “Challenging Skin Infections and their Complications” on Oct. 24. It will be the ninth post-graduate course conducted by the department from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Auditorium of the Makati Medical Center, Tower 2.

Department chairperson Dr. Peachy Paz-Lao said guest speakers include specialists in the fields of dermatology, pediatric dermatology, venereology, infectious disease, plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery, otolaryngology – head and neck surgery – and pain and palliative care. Post-graduate committee head Dr. Elise Floreza and assistant Dr. Donna Leelin-Sarrosa said the lineup of speakers is one of the most impressive and extensive ever assembled in course history.

Additionally, Dr. Manuel O. Fernandez, Jr. will deliver a lecture on “Stem Cells for Rejuvenation and Aesthetics” from 2 to 3 p.m., also on Oct. 24, at the same venue. The event is open to all medical doctors. Deadline for pre-registration is tomorrow. Please contact Dr. Jamaine Cruz at 0917-5832885 or Dr. Golda Soller at 0917-5798852 for details.