Eight New Members For IOC

(ATR) The IOC is set to consider nominations for eight new members, the biggest group in years.

The IOC Executive Board proposed the members on the final day of its meeting in Lausanne Friday. The additions would bring the total number of members to 99.

The eight new members – four men and four women – are drawn from Austria, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Colombia, Canada, India, Finland. Bobsleigh president Ivo Ferriani is also nominated.

The IOC said the list is the result of the first targeted recruitment process for IOC membership outlined in its Agenda 2020 reforms.

A new set of criteria was applied by the IOC Members Election Commission, chaired by the Princess Royal, which proposed the list of candidates to the EB.

The commission developed a recruitment procedure aimed at "targeting new members with skills and experience needed by the IOC".

The new approach includes integrity checks by the IOC Ethics Commission.

The nominations represent a cross-section of expertise from sport, culture, medicine, sociology, business, law and management.

The eight candidates are:

Sari Essayah, is a female Olympian racewalker from Finland.

Ivo Ferriani is the Italian president of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, proposed as a member representing an international federation.

Luis Moreno from Colombia is president of the Inter-American Development Bank.

Auvita Rapilla is the female secretary general of the Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee, a member of ANOC and of the ONOC Executive Committee.

Anant Singh is a film producer from South Africa.

Canadian Tricia Smith is an Olympian rower and president of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Karl Stoss is president of the Austrian Olympic Committee and chairs the Managing Board of Casinos Austria AG.

Nita Ambani from India is founder and chair of the Reliance Foundation.

IOC president Thomas Bach said the nominations "are a strong and varied group of individuals that are experts in their respective fields and will make great contributions".

"They have been vetted by new criteria in keeping with the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020. These candidates will add extra strength and diversity to our already universal orchestra of IOC Members."

The proposed members are subject to a vote at the 129th IOC Session taking place Aug. 2-4 and 21st.

Further proposals will come at the IOC Session in Lima in 2017 after elections in certain summer sports federations and NOCs.

Some noticeable vacancies remain on the IOC that have been customary seats, such as the presidents of the IAAF and FIFA. On the NOC side, Greece and Cuba will be absent a regular membership seat at least until the next round of nominations next year around this time.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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