The most decorated Winter Olympian ever and the greatest women’s hockey player of all time have been elected to the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission.
Norway’s “Biathlon King,” Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, and Canadian four-time gold medalist Hayley Wickenheiser will officially be sworn in as members during Sunday’s Closing Ceremony at Fisht Olympic Stadium according to the Associated Press.
A record 80.87 percent of the Sochi Olympians took part in this year’s election according to the IOC. Competitors were called upon to vote for two Olympians, each from different sports.
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“As one of the founding members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, I very much appreciate the high participation in the vote,” IOC president Thomas Bach said in a statement. “It shows the value that athletes place on being part of the decision-making process and helping to shape the future of the Olympic Movement.”
Bjoerndalen and Wickenheiser replace Rebecca Scott and Saku Koivu, who have reached the end of their eight-year terms after being elected to the Athletes’ Commission at Torino in 2006.
