High Performance Sport New Zealand CEO Alex Baumann to step down

Departing High Performance Sport New Zealand CEO Alex Baumann. Photo / Photosport

High Performance Sport New Zealand CEO Alex Baumann is stepping down, but says the best is yet to come for New Zealand sport.

Baumann has directed the organisation since its inception, but is leaving the role in September to move to Australia to be closer to his children and extended family.

The Canadian former double Olympic swimming gold medallist was in charge as New Zealand collected their record medal haul at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, but believes future Olympics can be even more fruitful.

"I don't think we've reached the pinnacle or the true potential yet," Baumann told D'Arcy Waldegrave on Radio Sport.

While proud of the 18 medals won in Rio, Baumann believes that there are added elements of importance that HPSNZ also delivered upon in their role of funding and supporting top athletes.

"I think the Rio Games were a bit up and down, but the nice thing was that on the Olympic front, there were nine sports that medalled. I think that shows a systems approach - it wasn't just one sport that got all the medals, and you want that diversity.

"It's a little bit wider than just winning medals - it's that inspirational component, that composition, how those athletes went back to the community as well. There's a wider aspect - certainly now in terms of return on investment, that's what the government is looking at as well."

Baumann believes New Zealand sport has an advantage on a majority of nations thanks to their rapport and cooperation with the country's biggest sporting national bodies.

"One of the strengths of the New Zealand system is that we do have a collaborative approach with the national sporting organisations, where we can have that open and honest conversation and there's a healthy balance between trust and accountability."

HPSNZ will conduct a worldwide search to replace Baumann, who has some words of his advice for his eventual successor.

"We have to make sure that our high performance athlete development program - those athletes that are six or eight years away - are looked after, and sometimes that's a difficult balance between putting resources into those that are already there and those that will be there beyond 2020 and 2024.

"We have to ensure that we pick the right athletes and then provide them with the right support systems to ensure they have those opportunities to excel."