USOPC opts to support the candidacy of a summer sport athlete for the IOC Athletes’ Commission

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) will look to support the candidacy of a summer sport athlete for election to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission.

USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland confirmed the organization’s intentions during a recent press conference, stating, “we are preparing a candidacy…to put forth a recommendation and a candidate for the IOC Athletes Commission on the summer side for the Paris Games.”

Hirshland explained, “since we have had two successive winter athletes on that IOC Athletes’ Commission, we made the determination that we wanted to give the summer athletes, which represent about two-thirds of our overall athlete body, an opportunity to potentially put their name in the hat for candidacy.”

She lamented, “unfortunately, the opportunity to do that is not until the Summer Games and the summer election cycle, which will happen in Paris.”

International Luge Federation (FIL) Athletes Commission Chairman and USA luge athlete Chris Mazdzer confirmed his desire to run for a position on the IOC Athletes’ Commission to Around the Rings in January. However, his potential candidacy was never supported by the USOPC.

Hirshland’s comments may help explain the absence of a United States candidate from the ballot contested during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

A provision included in bylaw 1 of Rule 21 of the Olympic Charter notes, “an NOC may not present any candidate for election to the Commission if an elected or appointed member who has represented such NOC at a previous edition of the Olympic Games is currently serving on the Commission, except if such member’s term of office expires at the end of the relevant edition of the Olympic Games.”

While there were no American athletes on the IOC Athletes’ Commission following the resignation of Kikkan Randall last summer, support for a winter athlete’s candidacy could have led to the continued exclusion of American summer sport athletes from the IOC Athletes’ Commission.

Hirshland did not indicate a preferred candidate during the press conference on Monday. Instead, she hinted that multiple candidates may be submitted to the organization. Then the USOPC will ultimately make a decision to recommend and put forth one athlete for election to the IOC Athletes’ Commission.