The International Olympic Committee (IOC) held its 142nd Session in Paris on Wednesday, where it appointed former Moroccan athlete Nawal El Moutawakel and Argentine doctor Gerardo Werthein as new vice presidents. Their terms will begin on August 10, marking the end of the terms for Australian John Coates and Singaporean Ser Miang Ng.
During this session, the Filipino Mikaela Cojuangco Jaworski was also reelected for a second term on the IOC’s Executive Board, while Chinese representative Li Lingwei was elected to its Executive Committee. The IOC stated on its website that Executive Committee members serve a four-year term and provided updates on these appointments.
Additionally, eight new IOC members—four women and four men—were elected and took their oaths during the session. Six of these members will start their terms immediately, while one will begin after the conclusion of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and another will commence on January 1, 2025.
The IOC reaffirmed its commitment to gender equality in leadership positions, noting that women now make up 42.3% of its membership, with 47 women out of a total of 111 members. The membership increased to a total of 43 athletes—23 women and 20 men—following the election of three female Olympic athletes.
Individual appointments included Egyptian Aya Medany, New Zealander Sarah Walker, Argentine Paula Belén Pareto, and British Hugh Robertson, who were elected as independent members. Sarah Walker’s association with the IOC will continue as she represents athletes until the end of the ongoing Olympic Games in Paris.
Damaris Young, president of the Olympic Committee of Panama; Gene Sykes, president of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee; and Ian Chesterman, president of the Australian Olympic Committee, were elected as members due to their roles within national Olympic committees.
Moreover, the session elected Johan Eliasch from the United Kingdom as a member linked to his position as president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).
Finally, 15 members who completed their eight-year terms, following their election or reelection in 2016, were reelected for an additional eight years. The IOC has set an age limit for members, with 80 years being the cutoff for those elected before December 1999, and 70 years for those chosen after that date.
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