Uğur Erdener IMGA Board Member: 1st Term
Born on June 25, 1950, in Türkiye, Uğur Erdener completed high school education in Ankara. With the aspiration of pursuing a medical career, he enrolled at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, renowned for providing the best medical education in the country. After graduating from Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine in 1977, Erdener specialized in the Department of Ophthalmology at the same institution.
Throughout his professional life, Uğur Erdener served as both a physician and an academician at Hacettepe University. As a Professor, his expertise focused on Oculoplastic Surgery, where he conducted numerous successful surgeries. After a term as the General Director of Hacettepe University Hospitals from 2000, Erdener was elected as the Rector of Hacettepe University in 2007, a position he held until the end of 2011. Over his extensive academic career of more than 40 years in the Department of Ophthalmology, he contributed significantly, publishing numerous articles in both local and international scientific journals.
Sport has always played a vital role in Uğur Erdener’s life. Commencing his athletic journey as an amateur athlete, Erdener rose to prominence as an international sports executive.
Taking on responsibilities in Turkish archery since 1982, Erdener served as the President of the Turkish Archery Federation from 1983 to 2005. Recognized for his outstanding contributions to Turkish sports, he received numerous awards from national organizations. He served to the presidency of the European and Mediterranean Archery Union (EMAU), now known as World Archery Europe, for 5 years. In 2005, Erdener became the first and only Turkish sports figure to be elected as the President of an international federation in an Olympic sport, leading the World Archery Federation. He was re-elected in 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2021.
Since 2011, Prof. Dr. Uğur Erdener has been the President of the Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC), and since 2008, he has been a Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He served on the IOC Executive Board in 2014, assumed the role of Vice President in 2016, and continued these roles until 2020. Additionally, he served on the IOC Evaluation Commission for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in 2016-2017 and later on the IOC Coordination Commission for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Since 2015, Erdener has chaired the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission and has also served as the Chairman of the IOC Dakar Youth Olympic Games Evaluation Commission and the Chairman of the IOC Youth Olympic Games Working Group.
As a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Executive Committee and WADA Foundation Board, Erdener also served as the Chairman of the WADA Health, Medical and Research Committee (HM&R) in the past. After new governance system he represents the IOC in WADA Executive Board now. Since 2017, Erdener is the IOC Representative on the Board of the International Testing Agency (ITA). He became a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) Council and was elected as the Vice President of ASOIF in 2017 and later in 2021. In 2023, he was elected as the President of SportAccord, a global sports event organization representing stakeholders of both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games and non-Olympic International Federations.