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Olympic bobsleigh medalist Won Yun-jong among 11 candidates for IOC Athletes' Commission election
South Korean Olympic bobsleigh medalist Won Yun-jong will be among 11 candidates running for the International Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission election next year.
The IOC on Friday unveiled the final list of candidates for the election, which will take place during the Feb. 6-22 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Approved Thursday by the IOC Executive Board, the list features eight men and three women from five different sports and 11 countries.
Won, who piloted South Korea to the silver medal in the men's four-man bobsleigh at the 2018 Winter Olympics, was chosen as the South Korean candidate for the election, ahead of figure skater Cha Jun-hwan, in February. The Korean Sport Zhanbota Aldabergenova of Kazkhstan (freestyle skiing); Dario Cologna of Switzerland (cross-country skiing); Yohan Goncalves Goutt of Timor-Leste (alpine skiing); Han Cong of China (figure skating); Ilkka Herola of Finland (Nordic combined); Adam Konya of Hungary (cross-country skiing); Magnus Nedregotten of Norway (curling); Johanna Taliharm of Estonia (biathlon); and Marielle Thompson of Canada (freestyle skiing).
According to the IOC, the mission of the Athletes' Commission is to represent fellow athletes and support their development in their sporting and non-sporting careers.
Athletes' Commission members serve an eight-year term, but otherwise have the same responsibilities and rights as other IOC members.
The candidate must be able to communicate effectively in English or French, the two official working languages of the IOC.
The Athletes' Commission can have a maximum 23 members, with up to 12 voted by peers and a maximum 11 appointed by the IOC president. (Yonhap)
