Nine athletes will stand for election to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission during the Winter Games in Vancouver.
The winter athletes, who come from nine different countries and four continents, either competed at Turin 2006 or will take part in next month’s Games in Vancouver.
All 2010 Winter Olympic participants will be asked to vote for two athletes from two different sports and the two who receive the most votes will be appointed to the commission and become IOC members for eight years. The results will be announced on February 24.
The two new members will replace Pernilla Wiberg and Manuela Di Centa, who were elected to the Athletes’ Commission at the Games in Salt Lake City in 2002 and have come to the end of their eight-year terms of office.
The IOC Athletes’ Commission was created in 1981 and serves as the voice of the active athletes within the Olympic Movement. It is made up of 19 members – eight summer sports athletes, four winter sports athletes and up to seven athletes appointed by the IOC president to ensure a balance in terms of gender, sport and region.
The nine winter athletes standing for election this year are:
COOPER Jacqui – AUS - Freestyle skiing
DENERIAZ Antoine – FRA – Alpine skiing
GEDEVANISHVILI Elene – GEO – Figure skating
KHASH-ERDENE Khurelbaatar - MGL - Cross country skiing
MAJDIČ Petra - SLO - Cross country skiing
PENGILLY Adam – GBR - Bobsleigh skeleton
RUGGIERO Angela Marie – USA - Ice hockey
SANFRATELLO Ippolito – ITA - Speed skating
ŠATAN Miroslav – SVK - Ice hockey
