(ATR) Athletes representing five different sports are vying for two seats on the IOC's athletes' commission.
Norwegian cross-country skier Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen faces competition from Spanish skeleton racer Ander Mirambell, U.S. cross-country skier Kikkan Randall, ice hockey player Emma Terho from Finland, Hong Zhang, a speedskater from China, and Armin Zoeggeler, a luge athlete from Italy.
They were nominated by their respective national Olympic committees.
Two seats on the commission are available in the election in PyeongChang on Thursday. Current chair Angela Ruggiero and British IOC member Adam Pengilly finish their terms at the close of the 2018 Winter Games.
All athletes who have participated at the PyeongChang Games are eligible to cast their ballots at the election which starts at 2pm Korean time. Results will be announced later on Feb. 22.
After approval by the IOC Session on Sunday, the two elected Olympians will become IOC members for an eight-year term.
The Candidates
Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen – competed at the Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 Olympics and won world titles in 2007, 2015 and 2017. A member of the Norwegian NOC's sports medical and ethics committee, she is CEO of ANSAN AS, a coaching and presentations company.
Ander Mirambell – competed at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Games. He is project Coordinator at LaLiga4Sports and describes himself as a motivational, creativity and leadership speaker.
Kikkan Randall – She won a cross-country gold medal in team sprint freestyle at the PyeongChang Games. A veteran of four Winter Olympics (2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014), she won a world championships bronze in 2017, following a gold in 2013 and silver in 2009. Randall is president of ‘Fast and Female USA’, a non-profit organisation dedicated to keeping girls involved in sport for life. She was a member of the FIS Athletes’ Commission from 2009-2017.
Emma Terho – The Finnish ice hockey player won bronze at the 1998 and 2010 Winter Olympics and has four bronze medals from world championships. She is chair of the athletes’ commission of the Finnish Olympic Committee and the first female member of the board of the Finnish lce Hockey Federation.
Hong Zhang – A gold-medal winner at the Sochi Games, she won a world title in the 2014 world championships and a bronze at the 2016 worlds. Zhang was an ambassador for Beijing’s successful bid for the 2022 Olympics and is on the board of the Chinese Olympic Committee.
Armin Zoeggeler – the two-time Olympic medalist (2002 and 2006) also won silver at the 1998 Games and has three Olympic bronze medals to his name. A multiple world champion, he is technical director of the Italian luge team and a member of the Italian NOC athletes’ commission.
On the eve of the 2018 Olympics, Kirsty Coventry was appointed as chair of the athletes’ commission after receiving the full backing of the committee and the IOC’s ruling body.
The five-time Olympian from Zimbabwe has been a member of the commission since 2012. Danka Bartekova is the new vice chair, replacing Tony Estanguet, who has stepped down to focus on his role leading the organizing committee for the Paris 2024 Olympics. He will remain a member of the athletes’ commission until Tokyo 2020.
Written by Mark Bisson
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