Isidoros Kouvelos

Isidoros Kouvelos was born in Athens in 1953.
He obtained his BA in Shipping and Ship Broking at the City of London Polytechnic. Married, since 1998, to Dora Bakoyannis, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Mayor of Athens during the 2004 Olympic Games.
PROFESIONAL BACKGROUND
In 1998, he established his own shipping company ‘ISK SHIPPING LTD’, which he runs until today and in 2001, established in Kenya the “EXPRESS SHIPPING AND LOGISTICS” LTD., President and CEO of which he is until today.
SPORTS ADMINISTRATION EXPERIENCE
Since February 2009 until today, Isidoros Kouvelos has been elected unanimously President of the International Olympic Academy for three consecutive terms and President of the National Olympic Academy for the periods 2009-2012 and 2013-2017.
In collaboration with the University of Peloponnese, he established in 2009 the IOA, the International Postgraduate Program in Olympic Studies (Master’s Degree) entitled “Olympic Studies, Olympic Education, Organization and Management of Olympic Events”.

Isidoros Kouvelos
President of the International
Olympic Academy

Isidoros Kouvelos has upgraded the physiognomy and the role of the IOA in the Olympic Movement, expanding its relations with many National Olympic Academies and well-known Universities and other Educational Institutions, thus creating a solid network for the continuous dissemination of the Olympic Values through numerous Seminars and Conferences.
In 2009, Isidoros Kouvelos was appointed by IOC President Dr. Jacques Rogge as Member of the IOC Commission for Culture and Olympic Education and in 2018 President Thomas Bach, appointed him Member of the IOC Commission for Olympic Education.
Since 2011 he is Member of the Board of the International Olympic Truce Foundation.
Since 2005, Isidoros Kouvelos is Member of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and was elected as Chef de Mission of the Greek Delegation for the Olympic Games of Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio di Janeiro 2016.
From 2001 till 2013 and from 2017 till today he has been elected President of the Hellenic Equestrian Federation.

HONOURS

In October 2014, he was awarded with the honorary title of “Honoris Professor”
by the Kazakh Academy of Sports and Tourism.

In September 2011, he was awarded with the honorary title of "Doctor Honoris
Causa"by the State University of Physical Education and Sports of the Republic of
Moldova.

In October 2010, the National University of Physical Education and Sports of
Ukraine awarded him with the honorary title of “Doctor Honoris Causa”.