Presidium has elected

Florian Gosch is the new Secretary General of the ÖOC

Florian Gosch

(Bild: APA/ÖOC/NIKLAS STADLER)

Florian Gosch will be the next Secretary General of the Austrian Olympic Committee (ÖOC). The 43-year-old former top athlete was unanimously appointed as Peter Mennel's successor on Tuesday by the ÖOC Presidium with the approval of the Executive Board.

Gosch prevailed against 83 national and international applicants in a multi-stage selection process. "We are convinced that in Florian Gosch we have found the perfect solution for the position of ÖOC Secretary General," explained ÖOC President Karl Stoss. Gosch took part in two Olympic Games as a beach volleyball player in 2004 and 2008 and finished fifth in his second participation in Beijing with Alexander Horst. After his active career and completing a degree in business administration, the family man joined the ÖOC in 2011, where he has been a member of the management team for eight years and is currently Head of Marketing.

Florian Gosch (left) with ÖOC President Karl Stoss

(Bild: APA/ÖOC/NIKLAS STADLER)

"The five rings have been with me since my youth"
After the Summer Games in Paris, which begin on July 26, Gosch and Mennel, who has been in office since June 2010 and whose contract runs until the end of June 2025, will prepare the transition until he takes office. "It is a great honor for me that the Presidium and Executive Board of the Austrian Olympic Committee have entrusted me with the office of Secretary General. The Olympic idea has shaped my entire sporting and professional career, and the five rings have been with me since my youth. It is therefore something very special for me to be able to take on this task," explained Gosch.

The Styrian received advance praise from his predecessor. "He knows the Olympic Games from an athlete's perspective and has played a major role in the successful development of the Austrian Olympic Committee over the past 13 years with his expertise, commitment and empathy. Above all, however, he still carries the same Olympic enthusiasm with which he celebrated great successes as an athlete," Mennel was quoted as saying in an ÖOC statement.