London, 24th July IOC member Claudia Bokel has been elected the new Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission for a two-year term, replacing incumbent Frank Fredericks (NAM). Claudia, a former Olympic fencer and silver medallist at the 2004 Athens Games, has a Masters in Science (2008), and has managed to create a good career for herself.

First member and then Chair of the German Athletes’ Commission, she then stepped up to become Chair of the European Athletes’ Commission and thus member of the EOC Executive Board from 2005 to 2009,  then to be voted onto the IOC Athletes’ Commission at Beijing 2008 and became its Vice-Chair in 2010, mentor at the Elite Sports School in Bonn, Board member of the National Anti-Doping Agency/NADA, member of the “Dual Career” Working Group of the German Sports Aid Foundation (20042006), and member of the WADA Athletes’ Committee. She also has been a research assistant at the IOC-accredited doping laboratory in Cologne/Institute for Biochemistry of the German Sports University in Cologne (2002) and Co-moderator for EuroSport (2002).

In her new position, Claudia will sit on the IOC Executive Board for the duration of her term, pending approval by the IOC Session currently meeting in London.

Bokel was given the nod ahead of Alexander Popov (RUS) and Adam Pengilly(GBR), a former skeleton athlete who competed at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympic Games, who was elected new Vice-Chair, succeeding Bokel in that role.

In London, the Athletes’ Commission will also welcome four new members at the end of the Games. From 16 July until 8 August, all athletes participating in London 2012 are eligible to vote for four of the 21 candidates running for election to the Athletes’ Commission.