11 Sep - Michelle Yeoh is among those nominated to become a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after being listed among eight new members. In a statement released recently, IOC President, Thomas Bach said that all candidates will bring added value to the IOC because of their experience and expertise in their respective fields, and that Michelle will be among those to be considered at a meeting next month in Mumbai, India.
"What they all have in common is their love of sports and their strong belief in the Olympic values and what the IOC stands for... Furthermore, the selection of four women reinforces IOC's commitment towards gender equality by increasing the membership to 44 women, which brings the percentage of women up to 41.1 per cent," he added.
Apart from Michelle, seven other names proposed include businessman and Hungarian Sports Administrator, Balasz Furjes; Olympic medalist and politician from Peru, Cecilia Roxana Tait Villacorta; German sports entrepreneur, Michael Mronz and President of the International Skating Association from South Korea, Kim Jae-youl. The IOC now has 99 invited members, including royalty, former athletes and political and industrial leaders. Its main role is to determine the hosts for the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, from a list of countries selected in advance by the IOC administration and executive branch.