Ella Mawdsley

Ella Mawdsley was 17 when she first took up the sport of biathlon at the suggestion of her younger sister. From that moment on, Mawdsley's passion for sport was sealed. Since then she's competed as a biathlete, participated in the Canadian Birkebeiner Cross-Country Ski Festival and run her first marathon—all while working towards a career in advertising and promotion. Mawdsley, 25, is one of six Canadian interns chosen to go to Africa as part of Commonwealth Games Canada's groundbreaking Capacity Support Program (CSP). The CSP is co-funded by the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Canada. It is designed to support Commonwealth Games Associations in developing countries and help them maximize their organizational performance as they prepare for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi this October and for future Games. The CSP interns will assist countries with sport administration activities ranging from programming, fundraising and communications to the implementation of the games management software program Zeus. Having competed as a biathlete in events including the 2005 FISU World University Games in Austria, the 2004 Arctic Winter Games and the 2003 Canada Winter Games, Mawdsley became head coach of the Yellowknife biathlon team in 2008. A native of Forth Smith, N.W.T., she also serves as Vice-Chair and Yellowknife Representative for the Sport and Recreation Council of the Northwest Territories. In September 2009, Mawdsley was named Account Manager at the Outcrop Communications Group, where her duties included overseeing the direction of marketing campaigns from start to finish. Before that, she was Promotions Manager for Outcrop's sister company, Up Here Publishing. After graduating from the University of Lethbridge in 2008 with a Bachelor of Management degree specializing in marketing, she worked as Public Affairs Co-ordinator for the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly. Mawdsley's background in marketing and promotion makes her particularly well suited for the Lesotho National Olympic Committee (LNOC), which needed an intern with experience in communications, public relations and event management. In addition to supporting coaches and helping identify talent, Mawdsley will assist LNOC in promoting competitions. "We are looking forward to Ella providing technical and administrative support to coaches and administrators through workshops and skill training sessions," says Khauta Monyobi of LNOC. "We also wish to incorporate Zeus into our daily operations and integrate it into our ongoing business practice." Mawdsley, who hopes one day to work in sport and recreation, believes her experience in Africa will teach her more about where she wants to take her career. "Commonwealth Games Canada's International Development through Sport unit is pleased to offer unique and professional international work opportunities for young graduates," says Carla Thachuk, Commonwealth Games Canada's Manager of International Programs. "Particularly in difficult economic times, these internships will help the participants apply their educational experiences to a challenging work environment as they set out to develop their own careers." Mawdsley is a firm believer in the role sport can play in international development: "I think involvement in sport can develop leadership, discipline and a sense of personal pride," she says. "Those are all skills you need to develop a nation."