The 50-year-old from London in Ontario joins the organisation from the CanoeKayak Canada, where she has been director general for the past 15 years.

 

 

Alex Baumann, the executive director for Own the Podium said: "Anne is an extraordinary talent whose athletic background, business acumen and leadership skills bring immense value to our organization as Own the Podium continues to deliver the resources Canadian athletes need to excel against the world's best.

 

“Anne will officially start her new position on October 15 and will be counted on to play an integral role in developing the critical relationships required with Canada’s summer sport organisations and athletes to develop more podium performers.”

 

Own the Podium was initially created to help Canada top the medal standings at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

 

However, in 2006, the programme was expanded to include summer sports, with the goal of reaching top-12 in medal standings at the 2012 Olympics and the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

 

Merklinger was a member of the Canadian national swim team from 1977 to 1981, winning a silver medal in the 200 metre breaststroke at the World University Games.

 

She was also one of Canada's top female curlers and was a four-time winner of the Ontario women's curling championship.

 

Peter Giles, commodore of CanadaKayak Canada, backed Merklinger's decision to take up her new role.

 

He said: "Anne was director general of CanoeKayak Canada for 15 years and led a transformation of our organisation to one of the leading summer sport sports in Canada.

 

"We are thrilled to know that we’ll have Anne’s experience and leadership to continue to draw on in her new role at Own the Podium.”

 

Canada finished 19th in the overall Olympics medals table in Beijing last year with 18 medals, consisting of three gold, nine silver and six bronze, an acceptable return after a poor start to the Games led to an outcry back home.

 

They finished seventh overall at the Paralympics with 50 medals, including 19 gold, five of which were won by wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc (pictured), taking her total to 14 in a career stretching back to the Atlanta Games in 1996.

Under Merklinger, canoeing was one of Canada's most successful Olympic sports.

 

At the Athens Games in 2004, for the first time since London 1948, every member of the sprint canoe and kayak team reached an Olympic final, and athletes won a gold and two bronze.

 

In Beijing last year Canada, for the first time, had competitors in all 12 flatwater races and won a silver and bronze medal.

 

In her new role, Merklinger will immerse herself in the summer high-performance culture while working closely with Own the Podium’s high-performance sport advisors, technical specialists along with the national sport governing bodies and Sport Canada.

 

As director of summer sport, Merklinger will also bring funding recommendations to the senior management team, lead annual reviews, and develop new policies and programmes designed to achieve excellence at the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games.

In addition to appointing Merklinger, Own the Podium has also solidified its senior management team for the 2009-10 season.

Roger Jackson will continue to lead the world-unique initiative through to the end of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as chief executive.

 

Jackson will be joined by Baumann, who will assume the role of chief technical officer next month.

 

Baumann, the winner of two gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, breaking the world record in both the 200m and 400m medley, will be responsible for the technical programming of Own the Podium's summer and winter programmes.

 

Claire Buffone-Blair, who has been working alongside Jackson since the programme’s official launch in 2006, will continue her role as director of planning and operations.

 

While Merklinger joins the team as director of summer sport, Own the Podium plans to name a director of winter sport in the spring of 2010 after the Vancouver Olympics.