The Gambia’s Beatrice Allen, Britain’s Sir Craig Reedie, North Korea’s Chang Ung and Poland’s Andrzej Kraanicki have all recently received the prestigious Olympic Order on the final day of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session, held in Mumbai, India.

Beatrice Allen and Sir Craig were initially due to receive the honour in 2021. The awards ceremony was led by Princess Nora of Liechtenstein in her first in-person Session as the IOC doyenne, accompanied by IOC President Thomas Bach.

Allen was an IOC member from 2006 to 2020 and is now an honorary member, and has previously held roles with The Gambia National Olympic Committee, World Baseball Softball Confederation and Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa.

Bach commended Allen for her work promoting women in sport.

Beatrice Allen (born 8 August 1950) is the vice president of the Gambia National Olympic Committee since 2009 and a member of the International Olympic Committee starting in 2006. She has served as vice president of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), one of the biggest international sports federations, since 2017.

Early life and education

Beatrice Allen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in international development and received subsequent diplomas in gender development and gender project execution.
Career

She started her career at the United Nations Development Programme in 1974. In 1990, she was named an officer of the UNDP and remained in her position until 2002. Starting in 2006, Allen was named a member of the International Olympic Committee. During her time at the IOC, she was a member of multiple IOC commissions including the Women and Sport Commission and the organization of the 2016 Summer Olympics.

In June 2009, Allen was elected as the Gambia National Olympic Committee’s vice president. Months later in November 2009, Allen was named interim president after GNOC’s president Lang Tombong Tamba was arrested. Before the election to replace Tamba, she was charged for theft in 2011 and found not guilty.

In 2012, Allen awarded the medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics to the winners of the women’s 400 metres event. Following her reelection to the IOC in 2014, Allen was selected onto various IOC committees including Olympic Education and Women in Sports. Other sports positions that Allen held for Gambia include head of the Gambia Softball Association and chair for the Special Olympics.

With her achievement, Beatrice Allen deserves a national medal in recognition of all the services she has rendered to The Gambia and for highly representing our country in the globe.