Latest news with #Athletes'Commission
Ya Biladi
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Ya Biladi
Soufiane El Bakkali elected president of Moroccan athletes' commission
Moroccan double world champion in the 3000m steeplechase, Soufiane El Bakkali, was unanimously elected president of the Athletes' Commission under the Moroccan National Olympic Committee (CNOM) on Sunday, May 11, 2025. Speaking to the national sports channel Arryadia, the Olympic gold medalist said he was «honored» by the trust placed in him, adding that it strengthened his commitment to «effectively advocate for the interests of Moroccan athletes and ensure their voices are heard».
Morocco World
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
Morocco's Champion Soufiane El Bakkali Elected President of Athletes' Commission
Rabat – Beyond being Morocco's pride as a champion, Soufiane El Bakkali is now the President of the Athletes' Commission within the Moroccan National Olympic Committee (CNOM), after receiving a unanimous vote of approval on Sunday. 'This is a great initiative… I am happy to be here, and I am happy to be elected as the president of this committee,' El Bakkali said following the vote. He added that he will work with all committee members to serve athletes' needs and demands. 'We want the athlete's voice to be heard through a roadmap that we are going to work with, and this committee will serve to make the athlete heard,' he said, adding that he sees his election coming at the right moment. 'I see this is the right moment to enter this field, thanks to the experience I gained. This is pride for me to enter this field,' El Bakkali added, noting that he has a new vision that he would like to share with other committee members so they can work together to serve Morocco and its representation. El Bakkali has represented Morocco in many international competitions, winning prestigious awards – including in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where he secured gold in the men's 3000-meter steeplechase. Also part of his Olympic accolades, he took gold in the Tokyo Games in 2020. The two-time Olympic and world champion came second in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the 2022 Diamond League in Xiamen in China. The Moroccan runner also claimed gold medals at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in 2023 and Eugene, the US, in 2022. Tags: AthleticsSoufiane El Bakkali
Dubai Eye
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Coventry elected first female IOC president
Kirsty Coventry smashed through the International Olympic Committee's glass ceiling on Thursday to become the organisation's first female and first African president in its 130-year history. The Zimbabwean swimming great, already a towering figure in Olympic circles, emerged victorious to replace Thomas Bach, securing the top job in world sport and ushering in a new era for the Games. "It's a really powerful signal," she smiled as the victory sunk in. "It's a signal that we're truly global and that we have evolved into an organisation that is truly open to diversity and we're going to continue." Coventry needed only one round of voting to clinch the race to succeed Bach, winning an immediate overall majority in the secret ballot with 49 of the available 97 votes. She beat Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. into second place, the Spaniard winning 28 votes. Britain's Sebastian Coe, considered one of the front runners in the days leading up to the vote, came third with eight votes. The remaining votes went to Frenchman David Lappartient, Jordan's Prince Feisal, Swedish-born Johan Eliasch, and Japan's Morinari Watanabe. "This is not just a huge honour but it is a reminder of my commitment to every single one of you that I will lead this organisation with so much pride," a beaming Coventry told her fellow IOC members at the luxury seaside resort in Greece's southwestern Peloponnese which hosted the IOC Session. "I will make all of you very, very proud, and hopefully extremely confident with the choice you've taken today, thank you from the bottom of my heart," she added. Coventry said she wants to bring all the candidates together. "I'm going to sit down with President Bach. We're going to have a few months for a handover takeover. And what I want to focus on is bringing all the candidates together. There were so many good ideas and exchanges over the last six months. "Look at the IOC and our Olympic movement and family and decide how exactly we're going to move forward in the future. What is it that we want to focus on in the first six months? I have some ideas, but a part of my campaign was listening to the IOC members and hearing what they have to say and hearing how we want to move together." SHOW OF UNITY Coventry's first-round landslide was a show of unity in the body, she said. "It's extremely important we have to be a united front and we have to work together. We don't and we might not always agree, but we have to be able to come together for the betterment of the movement." The seven-times Olympic medallist was added to the IOC's Athletes' Commission in 2012, and her election to the top job signals a new era for the IOC, with expectations that she will bring a fresh perspective to pressing issues such as athlete rights, the gender debate and the sustainability of the Games. A champion of sport development in Africa, Coventry has pledged to expand Olympic participation and ensure the Games remain relevant to younger generations. She also inherits the complex task of navigating relations with global sports federations and sponsors while maintaining the IOC's financial stability, which has relied heavily on its multibillion-dollar broadcasting and sponsorship deals. As she takes the helm, the global sporting community will be watching closely to see how Coventry shapes the future of the world's biggest multi-sport organisation.
Asharq Al-Awsat
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Coventry Becomes First Woman and First African to Lead IOC
Kirsty Coventry smashed through the International Olympic Committee's glass ceiling on Thursday to become the organization's first female and first African president in its 130-year history. The Zimbabwean swimming great, already a towering figure in Olympic circles, emerged victorious to replace Thomas Bach, securing the top job in world sport and ushering in a new era for the Games. Coventry needed only one round of voting to clinch the race to succeed Bach, winning an immediate overall majority in the secret ballot with 49 of the available 97 votes, Reuters reported. She beat Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. into second place, the Spaniard winning 28 votes. Britain's Sebastian Coe, considered one of the front runners in the days leading up to the vote, came third with eight votes. The remaining votes went to Frenchman David Lappartient, Jordan's Prince Feisal, Swedish-born Johan Eliasch, and Japan's Morinari Watanabe. "This is not just a huge honor but it is a reminder of my commitment to every single one of you that I will lead this organization with so much pride," a beaming Coventry told her fellow IOC members at the luxury seaside resort in Greece's southwestern Peloponnese which hosted the IOC Session. "I will make all of you very, very proud, and hopefully extremely confident with the choice you've taken today, thank you from the bottom of my heart. "Now we've got some work together and I'd like to thank the candidates -- this race was an incredible race and it made us better, it made us a stronger movement. "I know from the conversations I've had with every single one of you how much stronger our movement is going to be." The seven-times Olympic medalist joined the IOC's Athletes' Commission in 2012, and her election to the top job signals a new era for the IOC, with expectations that she will bring a fresh perspective to pressing issues such as athlete rights, the gender debate, and the sustainability of the Games. A champion of sport development in Africa, Coventry has pledged to expand Olympic participation and ensure the Games remain relevant to younger generations. She also inherits the complex task of navigating relations with global sports federations and sponsors while maintaining the IOC's financial stability, which has relied heavily on its multibillion-dollar broadcasting and sponsorship deals. As she takes the helm, the global sporting community will be watching closely to see how she shapes the future of the world's biggest multi-sport organization.
