Presenting the President of the FIVB Athletes’ Commission and three-time Olympian
Louise Bawden’s ascent to the top of the FIVB Athletes’ Commission has been just as fulfilling as her professional career, which spanned 20 years and took her to three Olympic Games across three different continents.
Initially appointed as a member of the prestigious FIVB Athletes’ Commission in March 2021, Bawden will now serve as its President for the 2024-2028 term, having received the highest number of votes from candidates in both the volleyball and beach volleyball categories in last year’s elections.
“Representing athletes is an incredible honor and a significant responsibility. As someone who has experienced the highs and challenges of life as an athlete in both indoor and beach volleyball, I am deeply committed to ensuring players’ voices are heard and valued. It’s inspiring to work on behalf of my peers, advocating for their needs and aspirations while helping shape the future of our sport. This role is not just about representing athletes but empowering them to be active contributors to the decisions that impact their careers and our sport as a whole,” said Bawden.
Australia’s Louise Bawden in action at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
In her new role as President of the FIVB Athletes’ Commission, Bawden is determined to ensure that athletes claim their rightful place at the decision-making table as the FIVB seeks to transform volleyball into a global movement.
“To amplify athletes’ voices, we must focus on meaningful engagement and inclusivity. The Athletes’ Commission is made up of representatives from all regions of the world, from both indoor and beach volleyball, and is gender-balanced. All members are empowered to engage in discussions, ensuring that diverse perspectives from all areas of the volleyball community are represented. This fosters a spirit of collaboration and helps tailor solutions to the unique challenges athletes face worldwide.”
“Additionally, we are working to provide education and resources that empower athletes to engage confidently and effectively. Leadership workshops and other initiatives are being developed to enhance players’ ability not only to contribute as athletes but also to build successful lives off the court,” noted Bawden, who is also an athlete ambassador for the International Olympic Committee’s Believe in Sport campaign, which aims to promote integrity in sports.
“By fostering trust, open communication, and proactive involvement, we ensure that athletes’ needs remain central to the FIVB’s mission of ‘Together as One’ and contribute to the advancement of volleyball and beach volleyball during the 2024–2028 cycle,” she added.
Australia’s Louise Bawden in action at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Porec 2017.
Olympian at 19
Born in Melbourne in the summer of 1981, Bawden was only 19 years old when she made her first Olympic appearance at the Olympic Games Sydney 2000, competing at home in Australia. After three years of training in the discipline on a volleyball scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport, she earned a spot on the national team for the Olympic Games.
After the Games, Bawden spent three years in the Netherlands, playing professionally for AMVJ Amstelveen. With the Australian national team, she competed in the 2002 FIVB Volleyball World Championship and multiple editions of the AVC Asian Championship.
After earning her university degree in journalism, the 184 cm-tall Australian transitioned to professional beach volleyball in 2009. In her debut season on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, Bawden reached her first podium, winning silver at the Mazury Open in Poland with Becchara Palmer as her partner. That year, Bawden was named FIVB Top Rookie.
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Three years later, Bawden qualified for her second Olympic Games, this time on the sand, and played alongside Palmer at London 2012.
Later in her beach volleyball career, Bawden added two more World Tour medals to her collection: a bronze at the 2015 Poreč Major with Taliqua Clancy and another bronze at the 2017 Sydney 2-star with Nicole Laird.
In between these two podiums, Bawden and Clancy reached the quarterfinals of the Rio 2016 beach volleyball tournament, marking her third and most successful Olympic appearance.
Bawden and Tamsin Hinchley are the only two Australians to compete in both volleyball and beach volleyball at the Olympic Games. Hinchley was the first to do so, playing in Beijing 2008 and at the London 2012 Summer Games with Natalie Cook.
Like many beach volleyball players, Bawden noted:
“My life as an athlete was filled with adventure and travel, and I feel like I amassed a lifetime of memories, both through the joys and the calamities encountered along the way. It may sound strange, but some of my biggest memories are the moments in tournaments where my performance fell just short of an outcome. Those matches stay with me and remind me how fleeting opportunity is, both in sport and in life.”
Bawden’s partnership with Clancy also proved fruitful at the continental level. The Australian pair won three titles at the AVC Asian Championships, in 2014, 2015, and 2017.
Australia’s Taliqua Clancy (left) and Louise Bawden at the Olympic Games Rio 2016.
Bawden, who also featured in four consecutive FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships (2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017), announced her retirement as an athlete in early 2018, bringing to an end a glittering career in which she won 201 matches with six different partners on the beach volleyball circuit.
“It is almost impossible to choose my biggest beach volleyball memory. I took a leap of faith when I chose to pursue the sport full-time at the end of 2008, and I absolutely loved every part of the journey until my retirement in 2018. I was blessed with the opportunity to represent Australia in my second and third Olympic Games, and incredibly lucky to have great partners in Becchara and Taliqua in those Olympic campaigns,” said Bawden.
Her most significant responsibility post-retirement is serving as the President of the FIVB Athletes’ Commission, and there is no better person to advocate for athletes than Bawden, who has experienced it all, both on the volleyball court and in beach volleyball.
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