The International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission has elected a new leadership team during its meeting in Milan, with Pau Gasol Sáez appointed as Chair.
International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission members elected Pau Gasol as Chair. Maja Włoszczowska will continue as first Vice Chair, while Humphrey Kayange has been elected second Vice Chair. A third Vice Chair position has been created and will be filled by Oluseyi Smith.
The newly elected Chair and Vice Chairs will serve until the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Gasol competed in five Olympic Games, winning silver medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics, and a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He was elected to the Athletes’ Commission during the 2020 Summer Olympics and is also a member of the IOC Coordination Commission for LA28 and the IOC Ethics Commission.
The Chair of the Athletes’ Commission sits on the IOC Executive Board, representing athletes in IOC decision making processes.
Maja Włoszczowska is a four time Olympian and won silver medals in Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016. She was elected to the Commission at Tokyo 2020 and became first Vice Chair at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. She has also served on the IOC Athletes’ Entourage Commission since 2022.
Humphrey Kayange represented Kenya at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and has been a member of the Commission since Tokyo 2020. In 2022, he was appointed to the Coordination Commission for the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics and became its Chair in 2025.
Oluseyi Smith was appointed to the Athletes’ Commission in 2022. He represented Canada in athletics at London 2012 before competing in bobsleigh at the 2018 Winter Olympics, where he finished sixth in the four man event. He has also participated in the IOC Young Leaders programme.
Gasol succeeds Emma Terho, who was elected to the Commission at the 2018 Winter Olympics and later chosen as Chair at Tokyo 2020. She was subsequently re elected at the Beijing 2022 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The IOC Athletes’ Commission represents the athlete voice within the Olympic Movement. It is composed of up to 23 members, including 12 elected during the Olympic Summer and Winter Games and up to 11 appointed members to ensure balance across gender, region and sport. Fifteen members represent athletes at the IOC Session, matching the number of representatives from National Olympic Committees and International Federations.
