MILAN, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- South Korean bobsledder Won Yun-jong and Estonian biathlete Johanna Taliharm have been elected to the IOC's Athletes' Commission, while China's Olympic figure skating champion Han Cong failed to secure a seat.
Zhang Hong, the current Chinese IOC AC member and speed skating Olympic champion, will officially conclude her term after the closing of the ongoing Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
The IOC announced the voting results for the Athletes' Commission on Thursday, with 2018 Olympic bobsled silver medalist Won finishing first among 11 candidates, garnering 1,176 votes of 2,393. Taliharm finished second with 983 votes, while Han received 338 votes, placing sixth.
Between January 30 and February 18, 2,393 athletes cast their votes at voting booths in all Olympic Villages. The participation rate of 83.4 percent represents the second-highest in any Olympic and Winter Games since the first such election was held at Atlanta 1996.
Won and Taliharm will replace two outgoing members - Finnish ice hockey player Emma Terho and Norway's cross-country skier Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen - to represent fellow athletes in the IOC. They will officially join the IOC AC after Milan-Cortina 2026 and will each serve eight-year terms, ending after the 2034 Winter Olympics in Utah.
Zhang was initially elected to the IOC AC during the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.
"Looking back on my eight-year term, it has been both a training and a growth experience for me," Zhang said. "These experiences have given me a deeper understanding of the transition after retirement, especially regarding work in international sports organizations. Whether serving as an AC member or not, I will continue to contribute to the Olympic Movement."
She added, "I started speed skating at the age of seven, and [at the Sochi Winter Olympics] in 2014, I was fortunate to win China's first Olympic gold medal in speed skating. I hope to bring my athletic achievements and the experience I've gained from international sport to future young athletes, telling them that sports can give them more possibilities, not only to realize their dreams on the international stage, but also to inspire more people to participate in the sports they love." ■
