Held 22 to 23 May 2026 at the Hilton Auckland as part of ONOC's 46th Annual General Assembly Week, the forum brought together Athlete Commission (AC) representatives from 17 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) across Oceania under the theme 'Inspiration to Action'. Over two intensive days, delegates moved through a structured programme designed not just to inform, but to activate. At its core was a commitment to athlete-led governance: athletes shaping the decisions that affect their lives in sport, from the training ground to the boardroom.

The programme was built around three strategic objectives: Lead, Protect and Connect & Act, each directly aligned to the ONOC Strategic Plan 2025 to 2028.

Under the Lead objective, the ONOC Athletes' Commission presented its 2025 review and strategic alignment update, followed by an IOC Athletes' Commission briefing on global athlete representation and the Athlete365 programme. A regional breakout session invited NOC ACs to reflect on their own goals and aspirations, tracing the history of athlete representation in Oceania and setting their direction for the years ahead. Critically, athletes were formally integrated into the ONOC General Assembly as active participants, a structural shift that elevates athlete influence from presence to genuine power in regional decision-making.

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The Protect objective anchored day two's morning programme with sessions that equipped athlete representatives to be frontline guardians of sport integrity in their own communities. Safeguarding specialist Roshika Deo led a session on the role of Athlete Commissions as safeguarding champions, giving delegates a practical understanding of escalation processes, reporting responsibilities and best practice from across the Pacific Islands. This was followed by a session on clean sport and anti-doping led by Ryan Pini and Toby Cunliffe-Steel, covering athlete rights under the new WADA Code, the role of ORADO, and the responsibilities that come with sitting on an Athletes' Commission. Both sessions reinforced that athlete-led governance carries real accountability, and that Oceania's athlete representatives are ready to meet it.

Connect & Act drove the forum's most action-oriented sessions. Delegates heard from the Athlete Leaders Network on real-world examples of athlete advocacy in practice across the region, before a session on working effectively with NOCs offered practical frameworks for strengthening the relationship between athlete commissions and their national governing bodies. The afternoon was given over entirely to structured action planning: each NOC AC developed and presented a Commitment Card outlining their priorities for the next 12 to 24 months. The public presentation of those cards created a regional record of intent and a framework for peer accountability that extends well beyond the forum itself.

Olympic Solidarity funding featured across both days, with delegates receiving guidance on available athlete programmes and a detailed overview of NOC AC grant best practices to maximise funding utilisation across the region.

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Five region-wide commitments were formally endorsed by delegates:

1. Compliance Check-Ins with NOC Athlete Commissions: strengthening governance, transparency and IOC alignment across all 17 NOC ACs.
2. An Oceania Network of Athlete Commissions: a regional platform for sharing resources, best practices and advocacy initiatives, with peer mentorship built across AC leaders.
3. An Oceania AC Liaison Role: a dedicated coordination point between ONOC, NOCs and Athlete Commissions to improve responsiveness, continuity and succession planning.
4. Shared Services for the Moana Lounge: coordinated athlete-focused service delivery to improve consistency, sustainability and sponsorship opportunities, building on the Moana Lounge's success at Paris 2024.
5. Support for 100% NOC AC Applications: a concerted push to ensure every Oceania NOC has an active, resourced Athlete Commission fully connected to the regional network.

The five commitments will be tracked through ONOC's compliance check-in framework and reviewed against each NOC AC's Commitment Card ahead of the next forum.

With athletes now formally in the room where decisions are made, the 2026 Oceania Athletes' Forum has set a new benchmark for athlete-led governance across the Pacific.