The Vanuatu Public Service Commission has appointed the former former footballer and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Vanuatu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (VASANOC), Henry Tavoa, as the new Director of the Department of Youth and Sports Development.
With a background in football (soccer), from 1979 to 2001, Henry experienced all levels of modern sport through football on a voluntary basis as Athlete, Manager, Coach, Referee and Administrator at Club, League and National Federation levels.
His first full-time post in sport was as Executive Officer of both the Port Vila Football Association and Vanuatu Football Federation in 1995.
He later became CEO of VASANOC and his understanding and knowledge of sport underwent a paradigm shift to include more sports because VASANOC is also Vanuatu’s Melanesian Games Association, Pacific Games Association, Commonwealth Games Association, National Olympic Committee and National Association of Sports.
Henry Tavoa is well versed with modern sport administration and management from Anti-Doping, Women And Sport, Medicine, Athlete Welfare and Development to Sport for Development, Media for sports, SPorts and Technology, Sport and Education, sports research, sports history and marketing and sports policy in a developing country context.
He is passionate about learning and networking in sports and also non-sport leadership locally to the international arena.
Tavoa made a thesis of his Executive Masters in Sport Organisations Management Masters in 2011 to 2012 on the Vanuatu Game Plan which is making sport play in national development.
He said the research deepened his understanding and knowledge of sport in Vanuatu and was on the paper ‘The Political, Economical, Social and Legal Factors Hindering Sport Delivery and Development In Vanuatu’.
