Term: Board Member since inception of board

A four-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Johann Olav Koss is a legendary winter athlete and a pioneer in the field of Sport for Development. Outside his role as President, CEO and Founder of Right To Play, Johann is active in many sport-related causes. In 1997, Johann was appointed Chairman of the Norwegian Government Forum against Drugs and Doping.  He is also on the board of an organization called “MOT” (Courage) that mobilizes Norwegian athletes in the fight against drugs and doping.  He was a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athlete’s Commission from 1998 to 2002.  He also served as a founding and executive board member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (2000 to 2002) where he initiated the Athlete anti-doping passport.  In 1994, Johann was appointed Special Representative for Sport for UNICEF International.

He has received numerous awards including Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated (1994) and the Child Survival Award by the Carter Center.  Johann was also declared “One of 100 Future Leaders of Tomorrow” by TIME Magazine, and “One of 1,000 Global Leaders” by the World Economic Forum.  Johann completed his undergraduate medical training at the University of Queensland, and his Executive MBA at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He has Honorary Doctor of Laws Degrees from Brock University and University of Calgary.

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