MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s Andrew Owusu, public health professor, assistant track and field coach and three-time Olympian, added another accolade to his name in time for the Winter Games this month: election to the executive board of the World Olympians Association.

“I am thrilled and honored to join the board,” said Owusu about his new position in the association, more commonly known as the WOA, the representative body for the over 100,000 living Olympians worldwide. “Not only for me, but this election also highlights MTSU’s growing global presence through faculty leadership and service in international sport governance.”

Owusu was elected at the WOA’s Jan. 18 General Assembly, held online, along with 12 others and will serve through the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Originally from Ghana, Owusu was elected by acclamation, as there were no opposing candidates, by the 34 African National Olympians Associations, or NOAs, the national bodies that represent Olympians from their respective countries. A total of 107 NOAs from across the world then participated at the General Assembly.  

“I will bring the priorities, perspectives and feedback from Olympians to WOA decision making; keep the continental NOAs I serve informed on key WOA developments; help strengthen the coordination between NOAs across the continent; and serve the wider Olympian community through supporting the WOA’s mission and contributing to good, accountable governance on the board,” Owusu said..

Owusu will also continue his roles as professor and coach at MTSU, now with the added richness and knowledge of this next Olympic experience.

“This role allows me to bring broader global perspectives into the classroom,” he said. “It also creates opportunities for academic exchange, guest speakers, mentoring, and real-world examples that strengthen student and student-athlete development, leadership, and well-being.”

From Olympian to Blue Raider

Owusu successfully pursued his Olympic dreams at three consecutive Olympiads — 1996 for long jump in Atlanta, Georgia; 2000 for triple jump in Sydney, Australia; and 2004 for triple jump in Athens, Greece. Owusu juggled his final Olympic appearance with completing his MTSU Ph.D. program and beginning his first faculty appointment.

“I was drawn to MTSU because the faculty position matched my training and experience, and my research interests complemented the work already happening in the department,” said Owusu, who then transitioned to a tenure-track position after a faculty retirement. “I successfully applied for that position and continued building my long-term career at MTSU.”

Owusu has shared not only his academic expertise but also his elite athletic experience with the campus community for more than 20 years. He was an athlete under longtime head track and field coach, the late Dean Hayes, as a grad student and later served as Hayes’ assistant for nearly two decades. He currently serves as an assistant coach alongside head coach Keith Vroman.

“This new role reinforces my core goals at MTSU,” Owusu said. “It allows me to further integrate career readiness, high performance, and real-world experience as we prepare students and student-athletes to become confident professionals.

“Additionally, athlete career development and life after sport are priority areas for the WOA and the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, so there is a natural alignment between my work on campus and service to the Olympic Movement.”

As for any of MTSU’s current crop of student-athletes destined to follow in his Olympic footsteps, Owusu said there are contenders.

“It is hard to predict this far out, but we have a few with a realistic Olympic pathway and also alumni who remain in the mix for 2028.” 

Learn more about MTSU’s Public Health degree at https://www.mtsu.edu/program/public-health-b-s/.  Learn more about MTSU’s Track and Field program at https://goblueraiders.com/sports/track-field-cross-country. 

— Stephanie Wagner (Stephanie.Wagner@mtsu.edu)