Former Speed Skating Canada director general Jean Dupre has been named as the new CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee.
New COC president Marcel Aubut made the announcement at a Toronto news conference Monday morning. He also announced a new chief operating officer, Chris Overholt, to take over from Lou Ragagnin.
Aubut, the flamboyant former Nordiques owner, is putting his own brand on the committee as it heads into London in 2012 and Sochi, Russia in 2014.
He is holding a $1,250 a-plate hall of fame gala this Friday in Montreal and holding a parade for Olympic athletes along the same Stanley Cup Route once used by the Canadiens.
Dupre has 23 years of experience in the sports business. He worked for Cross Country Canada and did a stint in the front office of the Edmonton Oilers.
He is taking over the reins from Chris Rudge, and is expected to be much more hands-on than his predecessor.
"I have always believed in the relentless pursuit of excellence and I have lived it every day of my career in sport," Dupre said after being named to the job on Monday.
Dupre lobbied hard for Aubut to take over the president's job and his promotion to the CEO position was expected.
