Fresh Faces for Milan 2026 IOC Team

(ATR) The coordination commission for the 2026 Winter Olympics will be led by the IOC member in Finland.

Sari Essayah, a race walker who competed in two Olympics, will lead the commission.

The announcement from the IOC comes five months after Milan was chosen by the IOC to host the Games. Stockholm was the runnerup.

An IOC member since 2016, this is the first commission for Essayah to chair. She is already a member of the cocomm for Los Angeles 2028.

Since her sporting career, Essayah, 52, has been an active figure in Finnish business and government. A member of the Finnish and European parliaments, Essayah is the chair of Finland’s Christian Democratic party.

Giovanni Malago, Italian NOC president, IOC member and chair of the Milan 2028 committee says Essayah is a good fit for Milan.

"The choice of Sari Essayah is excellent news for Milan Cortina. She is a person who has gained important experience as an athlete, manager and politician, as well as coming from a country like Finland that has an important tradition in winter sports. I know her well and I am happy to be able to work alongside her ".

The ten members of the commission include five IOC members who have yet to serve on a cocomm:

Tricia Smith from Canada, Daina Gudzineviciute of Lithuania, Jiri Kejval from the Czech Republic, Kikkan Randall of the U.S. and Kee Heung Lee from South Korea. Lee is the former CEO of the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang.

Kejval served on the 2026 Evaluation Comission that examined the Milan bid. He is chair of the IOC Marketing Commission and is president of the Czech NOC.

Richard Carrión of Puerto Rico, soon to be in the top ten of IOC seniority, rounds out the IOC membership.The banker has served on other cocoms, but this will be the first Winter Olympic assignment.

International Skating Union President Jan Dijkema of the Netherlands is the representative of the winter federations. Representing the national Olympic committees is Alejandro Blanco of Spain. Marianna Davis, a four-time winter Paralympian and 2012 Paralympian in cycling, is the representative from the International Paralympic Committee.

The commission is not expected to meet until the second half of 2020. But members of the group are expected to attend meetings in Milan in December. The two day session involving the IOC and the local organizers is the first to take place as Milan forms its organizing committee.

In a statement, IOC President Thomas Bach says this new and gender balanced commission is an example of how the IOC is adopting changes in the way the Olympics are organized.

"Milano Cortina’s project is completely aligned with Olympic Agenda 2020 and its vision for cost-effective Games that take advantage of existing facilities and expertise. This Coordination Commission, under the leadership of Sari Essayah, holds the necessary combination of knowledge and skills to partner with the local organisers in unlocking the full potential of this project," Bach says.

They will work hand in hand for an unforgettable experience for athletes and fans, and an indelible positive legacy for the hosts."

Essayah says her group includes plenty of talent to help make Milan 2026 a success.

"We look forward to employing our experience in helping the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 organizers achieve their goals of sustainable development and a more active society. We know there is great support from the Italian population, and this energy will motivate all of us," said the IOC member.

Reported by Ed Hula.