IOC Executive Board Meeting: Eight new members proposed for election, seven re-elected

The candidates, recommended by International Olympic Committee’s Members Election Commission, have been subject to integrity checks conducted by the Ethics Commission of IOC.

Representative Image: The Board also proposed the re-election of seven IOC Members within the age limit, as well as the extension of the terms of office of two IOC Members. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), on Friday, agreed to propose eight new IOC Members for election to the 141st IOC Session, which will meet in Mumbai, India, from 15 to 17 October 2023.

It will be doing so, following the recommendations of the IOC Members Election Commission. The Board also proposed the re-election of seven IOC Members within the age limit, as well as the extension of the terms of office of two IOC Members.

Of the eight, five candidates, three women and two men, have been proposed as Independent Individuals:

• Yael Arad (female, year of birth: 1967, Israel)
• Balázs Fürjes (male, year of birth: 1971, Hungary)
• Cecilia Roxana Tait Villacorta (female, year of birth: 1962, Peru)
• Michelle Yeoh (female, year of birth: 1962, Malaysia)
• Michael Mronz (male, year of birth: 1967, Germany)

The above people have been nominated in accordance with Rule 16.1.1. of the Olympic Charter. The rule allows for up to seven IOC Members to be elected in special cases without a nationality or National Olympic Committee (NOC) requirement.

Two candidates, one woman and one man, have been proposed linked to their functions within an International Federation (IF), while the remaining one (the third below) has been proposed linked to his function within a National Olympic Committee (NOC):

• Petra Sörling, President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) (female, year of birth: 1971, Sweden)
• Jae Youl Kim, President of the International Skating Union (ISU) (male, year of birth: 1968, Republic of Korea)
• Mehrez Boussayene, President of the Comité National Olympique Tunisien (male, year of birth: 1959, Tunisia)

The candidates have been subject to integrity checks conducted by the IOC Ethics Commission.

IOC President Thomas Bach said, “These candidates bring added value to the work of the IOC because of their experience and diverse expertise in different walks of life. What they all have in common is their love of sport and their strong belief in the Olympic values and what the IOC stands for.”

“Furthermore, the selection of four women reinforces the IOC’s commitment to gender equality by increasing the membership to 44 women, which brings the percentage of women up to 41.1 per cent.”

IOC Members to be re-elected in 2023 with the age limit taken into consideration

Seven IOC Members arriving at the end of their eight-year term, following their election or re-election in 2015, will be proposed for re-election for another eight years, with the age limit being taken into consideration for the end of the terms (80 years for those elected before December 1999 and 70 years for those elected after that date):

• Nawal El Moutawakel (Morocco, Independent Individual, year of birth: 1962, elected in 1998)
• The Sovereign Prince Albert II (Monaco, Independent Individual, year of birth: 1958, elected in 1985)
• The Grand Duke of Luxembourg (Luxembourg, Independent Individual, year of birth: 1955, elected in 1998)
• Valeriy Borzov (Ukraine, Independent Individual, year of birth: 1949, elected in 1994, end of term at the end of 2029)
• Gunilla Lindberg (Sweden, Independent Individual, year of birth: 1947, elected in 1996, end of term at the end of 2027)
• Syed Shahid Ali (Pakistan, Independent Individual, year of birth: 1946, elected in 1996, end of term at the end of 2026)
• Nenad Lalović (Serbia, membership linked to his function as President of United World Wrestling (UWW), year of birth: 1958, end of term at the end of 2028)

The IOC EB also agreed to submit to the session for approval, the extension of the terms of office for four years of two IOC Members.

Luis Mejía Oviedo (Dominican Republic, Independent Individual, year of birth: 1953, elected in 2017, whose age limit, 70, will be reached at the end of 2023), starting from 1 January 2024 and running until the end of 2027.

This is due to his position as President of the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organisation (ODECABE) and to his pioneering role in promoting the Olympic Movement and its values through a national Olympic Channel.

Mr Gerardo Werthein (Argentina, Independent Individual, year of birth: 1955, elected in 2011, whose age limit, 70, will be reached at the end of 2025), starting from 1 January 2026 and running until the end of 2029.

This is due, in particular, to his position as Chair of the Boards of Directors of Olympic Broadcasting Services SA and SL, where, because of the digital revolution, developments have to be followed up consistently. Mr Werthein’s guidance in his capacity as Chair of the Technology and Technical Innovation Commission is also necessary in this field.