Rome, December 15, 2015 – The IOC Executive Board has approved the candidatures of 24 athletes for the IOC Athletes’ Commission elections, which will be held during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games next August.

Among these candidates, eleven champions come from the European continent, seven men and four women (strictly in alphabetical order):
Ms Nataliya DOBRYNSKA (UKR) Athletics
Ms Marina DURUNDA (AZE) Gymnastics
Mr Daniel GYURTA (HUN) Aquatics
Ms Yelena ISINBAYEVA ( RUS) Athletics
Ms Britta HEIDEMANN (GER) Fencing
Mr Gerd KANTER (EST) Athletics
Ms Sari MULTALA (FIN) Sailing
Ms Monika PYREK-ROKITA (POL) Athletics
Mr Joa?o Filipe Gaspar RODRIGUES (PO) Sailing
Mr Jean-Michel SAIVE (BEL) Table tennis
Ms Alessandra SENSINI (ITA) Sailing

The candidates come from across the globe and represent 14 different sports, with an equal number of men and women. This great outcome owes much to the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, which have put a greater focus on athletes and the central role they play within the IOC and the Olympic Movement.

Four seats on the Commission will become available in 2016, with current members Claudia Bokel, Dae Sung Moon, Alexander Popov and Yumilka Ruiz Luaces finishing their terms of office next summer. All athletes participating in Rio 2016 will be eligible to vote. After approval by the IOC Session, the four elected athletes will become IOC members for an eight-year term of office.