The International Olympic Committee has announced that world number one Justine Henin, 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo, and four-time Grand Slam winner Arantxa Sanchez Vicario have been nominated for the IOC Athletes’ Commission.
Created in 1981, the Athletes’ Commission is the link between active athletes and the IOC. The Commission is composed of active and retired athletes, holds at least one meeting each year and meets regularly with the IOC Executive Board, to which it issues recommendations.
Four athletes will be voted into the Commission during the 2008 Beijing Olympics by the participating athletes, and will complete eight-year terms. According to the AP, thirty-one nominees are on the ballot for 2008, including Henin, Mauresmo, and Sanchez Vicario. The four will also serve as full International Olympic Committee members.
The Olympic rules state that athletes nominated by their respective Olympic committees must have participated in the previous Olympic games (or the Games during the election) and have never been found guilty of a doping offense in their entire career.
No professional female tennis players are currently on the Commission.
