Change of cast at the World Athletics Commission. At the World Outdoor Championships in Eugene (July 15-24), six new members – including four women – were elected by the athletes present in Oregon: Bulgarian sprinter Ivet Lalova-Collio (615 votes), Ukrainian hurdler Anna Ryzhykova (607), Swiss sprinter and hurdler Lea Sprunger (585), Dutch sprinter Lisanne de Witte (560), Canadian middle-distance runner Matthew Hughes (555), and Japanese walker Toshikazu Yamanishi (494). They will replace the six members of the Athletes’ Commission who have reached the end of their terms: Inaki Gomez (Canada), Kim Collins (Saint Kitts and Nevis), Adam Kszczot (Poland), Thomas Rohler (Germany), Ivana Vuleta (born Spanovic, Serbia), and Benita Willis (Australia). The six newcomers will participate in a “handover” meeting in November with the current members of the commission, currently headed by French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie (president), and former New Zealand shot putter Valerie Adams (vice-president).
