El Guerrouj elected to IOC panel

Moroccan Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj was elected Thursday member of the Athletes' Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for a term of eight years.

El Guerrouj, who won in Athens on Tuesday an Olympic title in the 1500m race after two failed attempts in Sydney and Atlanta, was elected by 1,260 votes. Other elected athletes are Egyptian swimmer Rania Elwani, Namibian athlete Frankie Fredericks and Czech javelin world champion, Jan Zelezny.

Anita L DeFrantz, chairwoman of the Election Committee and IOC member, announced the results of the elections, that were held over the past 15 days in the Olympic village in Athens.

The Athletes' Commission was created in 1981 by former IOC chairman, Juan Antonio, to serve as a link between active athletes and the IOC. It 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 makes recommendations.

The Athletes' Commission is composed of 19 members, including eight summer sports athletes elected by their peers at the Games of the Olympiad, four winter sports athletes elected by their peers at the Olympic Winter Games, and seven athletes appointed by the IOC president to ensure a balance in terms of gender, sport, and region.

Last August, El Guerrouj was also elected member of the Athletes commission of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) for a 4-year term.