Denis Oswald may be an unfamiliar name but by the time the London Olympics open in 2012 he could be as well known as Sebastian Coe and Tessa Jowell. The 58-year-old Swiss lawyer, an Olympic rowing bronze medallist in 1968 and now president of the International Rowing Federation, will head the International Olympic Committee's Commission Coordination, a group of 17 IOC members and experts charged with monitoring preparations for the next six years.
The commission, which also includes Namibia's former world 200m champion Frankie Fredericks and Morocco's 1984 Olympic 400m hurdles champion Nawal El Moutawakel, begin their first full inspection today. The roles of the body will be to supervise the progress of the games preparations; assist the organising committee by providing experience from past games and liaising with key Olympic groups to ensure that they understand and follow the rules; and represent the IOC vis-a-vis the public, media and government.
The commission will visit London once a year until 2008, when it will increase its inspections to twice a year. There will also be project review and working-group visits by smaller delegations from the IOC. On the agenda today is a visit to the site of Olympic Park and the Millennium Dome, rebranded the O2 last week, which will stage the gymnastics and basketball in 2012.
