From Inside the Games
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has consulted with around 100 members on the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
Bach spoke to the members across three different sessions.
He discussed the handling of the pandemic and listened to the thoughts of the IOC members.
Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi, IOC sports director Kit McConnell, IOC director general Christophe De Kepper and chief operating officer Lana Haddad were also present on the calls.
The IOC’s medical and scientific director, Richard Budgett, also spoke about the issue of a coronavirus vaccine and the resumption of sport.
“The IOC held a series of internal consultations with IOC members to hear from them in preparation of the IOC Session, which will be prepared by the IOC Executive Board in its meeting on June 10, 2020,” an IOC statement said.
It was announced earlier this month that the IOC Session would take place virtually on July 17 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Female membership at IOC Commissions up at 47.7%
Female membership of the 30 International Olympic Committee (IOC) Commissions has risen to 47.7 per cent.
IOC President Thomas Bach and the Executive Board established the composition of the Commissions for 2020.
The number of positions held by women has risen from 45.5 per cent in 2019 to 47.7 per cent.
Two new female Commission chairs have been appointed, with Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul set to take on the role of Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission chair and Zhang Hong given the top role in the newly-formed IOC Coordination Commission for the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
This brings the total number of Commissions chaired by women to 11 out of 30, or 36.7 per cent.
Leeswadtrakul became the first Thai woman to be elected as an IOC member at the Session in the Peruvian capital of Lima in 2017.
She is currently Badminton World Federation deputy president and the Olympic Council of Asia’s Culture Committee chair, and has been an IOC Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission member since 2018.
Zhang earned China’s first-ever speed skating Olympic gold medal at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
In 2015, she became a promotion ambassador for Beijing’s successful bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics and was voted onto the IOC Athletes’ Commission in 2018.
The 32-year-old is also a member of the Athletes’ Entourage Commission and was a member of the Evaluation Commission for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, which eventually went to Milan and Cortina.
Zhang now sits on the Gangwon 2024 Coordination Commission alongside four other women – Afghanistan’s Samira Asghari, Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee President Virginie Faivre, and two representatives from winter International Federations, Heike Groesswang and Sarah Lewis.
