IOC Member elections lead to increased female representation

The 141st IOC Session meeting in Mumbai, India, today elected eight new IOC Members, four women and four men, bringing the proportion of women on the IOC membership to 41.1 per cent. This is in keeping with the IOC’s ambition to lead by example and increase female representation in governance structures.

Following a vote, the Session elected Mrs Yael Arad of Israel to join the membership. Mrs Arad, a retired judoka, was the first-ever Olympic medallist from Israel, winning a silver medal at the Olympic Games Barcelona 1992. She was appointed President of the National Olympic Committee of Israel in November 2021, making her the first woman to hold this position.

Mr Balázs Fürjes, a keen sportsman and experienced sports administrator from Hungary, was also elected to the IOC membership. A member of the IOC’s Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXV Olympiad, Brisbane 2032, Mr Fürjes also chaired Budapest’s 2024 Olympic Games candidature.

The Session also elected Olympian and former Congresswoman from Peru, Mrs Cecilia Roxana Tait Villacorta to the membership. A volleyball player, Mrs Villacorta participated in three editions of the Olympic Games: Moscow 1980, Los Angeles 1984, and Seoul 1988 where she won a team silver medal.

Mrs Arad, Mr Fürjes and Mrs Villacorta were all elected to the IOC membership as Independent Individuals.

At the same time, in accordance with Rule 16.1.1.1 of the Olympic Charter, which allows for up to seven IOC Members to be elected in special cases without a nationality or National Olympic Committee (NOC) requirement, the Session elected Mrs Michelle Yeoh from Malaysia and Mr Michael Mronz  from Germany as Independent Individuals.

Producer and actress Mrs Yeoh is a dedicated road-safety campaigner, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador and a campaigner for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Meanwhile, entrepreneur and keen sportsman Mr Mronz is an active sports manager in his native Germany, involved in the organisation of several important sporting tournaments and events.

Two candidates, one woman and one man, were also elected based on their functions within an International Federation (IF): Mrs Petra Sörling from Sweden, President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), and Mr Jae-youl Kim from the Republic of Korea, President of the International Skating Union (ISU). Meanwhile, Mr Mehrez Boussayene  of Tunisia was elected to the membership in his capacity as President of the Comité National Olympique Tunisien.

These elections bring the total number of IOC Members to 107.

Credit: IOC