Paul Wallwork

As a youth, Paul Wallwork sustained a serious sports accident which left him transiently quadriplegic, but fortunately, this resolved and he was able to resume sports. He competed in weightlifting, winning a gold medal at the 1966 South Pacific Games, and a silver medal in light-heavyweight at the 1974 Commonwealth Games. Wallwork also participated in tennis, boxing, rugby, and athletics. He studied at the University of Sydney, earning a teaching certificate and later became a teacher, college principal (1965-82), and eventually in 1982 secretary of the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Cultural Affairs.

Wallwork was executive director of the 7th South Pacific Games, and chairman of the Samoan Boxing Federation from 1984-87. He also served as vice-chairman of the Samoan Rugby Football Union (1982-86), and was chairman of the Western Samoa Amateur Weightlifting Association.

Wallwork was co-opted onto the IOC in 1987. He served on various commissions, as follows: Cultural Commission (1989-91, 1995-99), Sport for All Commission (1989-91), Olympic Solidarity Commission (1991-99), and the Coordination Commission for the 2000 Sydney Olympics (1995-99). In 1999 Wallwork became a victim of the Olympic Bribery Scandal, when it was revealed that his ex-wife had accepted a $30,000 loan from a chief executive of the Salt Lake City Bid Committee. Wallwork protested that it was his ex-wife’s dealings and he knew nothing of the loan, but he was expelled from the IOC.