Luke Muller (OLY) and Chris Barnard elected to represent US Sailing on Team USA Athletes' Commission

Luke Muller (Tokyo 2020) and Chris Barnard © US Sailing Team

On Friday, November 15, Luke Muller (Fort Pierce, FL) was elected as the next Team USA Athletes' Commission Representative for US Sailing, the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport. Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, CA) was elected to serve as the Alternate Representative and will work alongside Luke to support American sailing athletes.

Representatives to the recently re-named Team USA Athletes’ Commission (formerly "USOPC Athlete Advisory Council") serve as a voice for Team USA athletes and provide advice to the USOPC board of directors. The Team USA Athletes' Commission has gathered representatives from each NGB together in support of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC)'s mission, since 1973.

Muller represented Team USA at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the Finn (men's one-person heavyweight dinghy) and now competes professionally in classes such as M32s, TP52s, Mini Maxis, and RC44s. Though retired from Olympic sailing himself, Muller still actively supports the next generations of campaigners and current Team USA athletes.

"I'm honored to represent sailors on Team USA's Athlete Commission and serve on US Sailing's Board of Directors with Chris Barnard," said Muller. "I'm looking forward to putting my past and current experience as a sailor to work, collaborating with other Team USA NGBs and sailing organizations as we pursue our shared goals. I'm excited to connect with and amplify the voices of our current athletes to strengthen US Sailing."

Serving next to Muller as the Alternate Representative is Chris Barnard, who competed for the US Sailing Team in the Men's Laser for seven years during the Rio and Tokyo quads. After retiring from competition, he returned to coach for two years with the men's ILCA 7 athletes aiming for Paris 2024.

The mission of the Team USA AC is "To ensure communication between the USOPC and athletes who are actively engaged in amateur athletic competition or who have represented the United States in international competition within the preceding 10 years."

Muller's and Barnard's new positions also secure them seats on the US Sailing Board of Directors for a four-year term that coincides with their Team USA Athletes' Commission terms. Muller and Barnard will replace the outgoing Maggie Shea and Judge Ryan as US Sailing's Representative and Alternate Representative.

"Now in its second cycle, the inclusion of the AC representatives on the board is part of US Sailing's strategy to increase active athlete participation and amplify athlete voices at all levels of the organization," says Henry Brauer, newly elected President of US Sailing.

Their task as elected representatives will be to build relationships and actively communicate with US Sailing athletes, staff, leadership, development athletes and other NGB AC Representatives.

Per the Team USA AC bylaws, official terms run for the duration of a Summer Games quadrennium. Muller and Barnard's term will begin on January 1, 2025 and end on December 31, 2028.