Louise Martin (sports Administrator)
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Dame Louise Livingstone Martin, DBE (''née'' Campbell; born 1946) is the President of the
Commonwealth Games Federation The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), currently known as Commonwealth Sport, is the international organisation responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and is the governing body ...
(CGF). She is also a Scottish sports administrator, retired athlete, nutritionist and former educator. She has previously chaired the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland and SportScotland, headed Scotland's successful bid to host the
2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...
and played a key role in their organisation.


Career

Martin was born in 1946 in
Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...
. In the
1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, from 22 November to 1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North ...
, aged 16, she competed in the 110 yards
backstroke Backstroke or back crawl is one of the four Swimming (sport), swimming styles used in competitive events regulated by FINA, and the only one of these styles swum on the back. This swimming style has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disa ...
and 220 yards backstroke and reached the finals in both."Louise Martin pivotal in smoothing the way for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games"
''The Herald Scotland'', 29 December 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
She subsequently attended the Edinburgh College of Domestic Science ( Queen Margaret University), receiving a
diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offi ...
in domestic science and food nutrition. She lectured there from 1969 to 1972, before teaching at Glenrothes High School and then, from 1973, at the Millburn Academy."Martin, Louise Livingstone"
''Who's Who'' (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2018). Retrieved 5 June 2019.
She married in 1973, adopting her husband Ian's surname, stopped teaching in 1975, and had two children. Martin then turned her skills to sports coaching and management. In 1990, she became a tutor with the National Coaching Foundation. She was President of Scottish Gymnastics from 1993 until 1999, and progressed to join the board of the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland in 1995; four years later, she became its first female Chair, serving until 2007. As Chair, she was instrumental in securing Glasgow's bid to host the
2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...
, and as Vice-Chair of the organising committee was "a hugely influential figure in the successful delivery of the Games"."New Year Honours 2019 – High Awards"
(HM Government, 31 December 2018), p. 3.
She also chaired SportScotland from 2008 until 2016, during which time she was responsible for managing an increased budget ahead of the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
and the 2014 Commonwealth Games, including £30 million of investment in new facilities. She also served as the Secretary of the CGF from 1999 to 2015, and since 2015 has been the CGF's President. On 30 August 2023, the Commonwealth Games Federation has announced that Martin would retire from the role as Commonwealth Games Federation President after 8 years and she was succeeded by Welshman Chris Jenkins on 15 November 2023.


Honours and awards

In the 2003 New Year Honours, Martin was appointed a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
"for services to the Commonwealth Games"; she was promoted to Dame Commander in the
2019 New Year Honours The 2019 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...
"for services to sport"."Full Scottish Honours List 2018"
''The Herald Scotland'', 29 December 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
She holds
honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
s from
Abertay University Abertay University () is a public university in the city of Dundee, Scotland. In 1872, Sir David Baxter, 1st Baronet of Kilmaron, left a bequest for the establishment of a mechanics' institute in Dundee and the Dundee Institute of Technology w ...
,
Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University, informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley (), is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and Glasgow Polytechnic (originally Glasg ...
, the
University of Stirling The University of Stirling (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals; ) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by a royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built within the walled Airth ...
, the
University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde () is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal charter in 1964 as the first techn ...
,
Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University () is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by roya ...
and the
University of the West of Scotland The University of the West of Scotland (), formerly the University of Paisley, is a public university with four campuses in south-western Scotland, in the towns of Paisley, Blantyre, Dumfries and Ayr, as well as a campus in London, England. T ...
. In 2002, she was named UK Sports Administrator of the Year by ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
''.


References


See also

* Louise Martin
Athlete profile
Commonwealth Games Federation The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), currently known as Commonwealth Sport, is the international organisation responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and is the governing body ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Louise Living people 1946 births Scottish sports executives and administrators Scottish female backstroke swimmers British female backstroke swimmers Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of Queen Margaret University Sportspeople from Dunfermline Commonwealth Games competitors for Scotland Swimmers at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games 20th-century Scottish sportswomen