Astana, Kazakhstan, September 3, 2025: As a five-time Olympian, Emma Terho, has been there and done it. Now she wants to ensure that young athletes aspiring to follow in her footsteps have a smooth journey towards realising their dreams.
“We all have had paths as athletes, a path with ups and downs. Even if that path has been unique for all of us, we all have that in common and as athlete representatives, we always want to make that athlete journey better,” Terho, Chair of the IOC Athletes Commission, remarked.
In her address to representatives of Athletes Committees from the 42 Asian National Olympic Committees at the 6th OCA/OS Athletes Forum, Terho, a former captain of the Finnish women’s ice hockey team, urged delegates to make the most of the two-day event.
“The Continental Athletes Forum funded by Olympic Solidarity – like this one in Asia – is so important for us to meet together with the athlete representatives on a regional level to better understand their needs and challenges. We look forward to receiving a lot of feedback and ideas from participants at this Forum,” Terho noted.
“We will take this feedback to the IOC Athletes Commission, and together build a stronger network of Athletes Committees in Asia,” added Terho, who is attending her second Asia Athletes Forum.
Terho, paying tribute to Olympic Solidarity, said: “We have to thank Olympic Solidarity for funding this Forum, like they do every two years. Their funding is so important to bring athletes’ commissions around the world together, and also to help them deliver activities and support their athletes.”
The Forum focuses on scholarship opportunities for athletes under the Olympic Solidarity programme, panel discussions, seminars and themed working groups among other matters.
