ABSTRACT
In practice many organisations within the Olympic movement, such as international or national federations, have few or no mechanisms for board renewal. There is limited board training or development and board members often remain in place for many years and in some instances many decades. This lack of renewal has many consequences, including having a negative impact on the development of human capital, limiting the capacity of the sport organisation, and more recently it has been associated with corrupt practices and integrity breaches. In particular, long tenures have allowed board members to create networks that have benefitted them personally, hidden poor practice, particularly financial irregularities, and had a detrimental impact on election practices. As a consequence of these breakdowns in governance, it appears reasonable to argue that governance in the Olympic movement would benefit from a greater focus on board renewal. This chapter elaborates on this argument and considers the impact of board renewal on good governance and suggests some ways that board renewal can be approached. The chapter starts with a consideration of the context surrounding board renewal, setting out the arguments for renewal, particularly within the Olympic movement. It goes on to focus on the use of limited terms as a method of encouraging board renewal and concludes with a discussion of other renewal techniques.
