— Published February 22, 2026

Yunjong Won and Johanna Talihärm elected to the IOC Athletes' Commission

IOC

The IOC Athletes' Commission is evolving. Two new members have been elected to an eight-year term on the sidelines of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games: Korean Yunjong Won (bobsleigh) and Estonian Johanna Talihärm (biathlon). 2,393 athletes votedThis gives them a certain legitimacy. They take over the places left by Emma Terho (Finland) and Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen (Norway). Yunjong Won, who participated in three Olympic Games (2014, 2018, 2022) and obtained a silver medal in Pyeongchang, received 1176 votes. Johanna Talihärm, who competed in four editions from Sochi to Milan-Cortina, obtained 983.

Canadian Marielle Thompson (683), Swiss Dario Cologna (543), Norwegian Magnus Nedregotten (363), and Chinese Cogn Han (338) follow. Also candidates, Ilkka Herola (Finland), Oleksandr Abramenko (Ukraine), Zhanbota Aldabergenova (Kazakhstan), Adam Konya (Hungary), and Yohan Gonçalves Goutt (Timor-Leste) all received fewer than 250 votes.

« I would like to congratulate Yunjong Won and Johanna Talihärm on their election, commented Emma Terho, chair of the IOC Athletes' CommissionThanks to their passion, experience, and unwavering commitment to athletes, they will contribute a new vision and renewed energy to the IOC Athletes' Commission, thus helping to shape a future where every athlete feels supported, empowered and truly heard. I am delighted with the high participation rate of athletes to the elections to the IOC athletes' commission, who thus made their voices heard. "The 83,4% turnout is the second highest for a Games edition since the first elections to the IOC Athletes' Commission at the 1996 Atlanta Games. This Sunday, Won and Talihärm were both..." elected members of the IOC, on the proposal of the executive committee.

The legendary basketball player Pau Gasol (Spain) was also elected president of the commission. He will be assisted by Maja Włoszczowska (Poland, cycling), first vice-president, Humphrey Kayange (Kenya, rugby), second vice-president, and Oluseyi Smith (Canada, athletics and bobsleigh), third vice-president.