(ATR) Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye tells Around the Rings he is honored to join the ranks of the IOC.
"I’m very proud to represent my country and my region," Ndiaye told ATR following the election at the IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur.
He said he was honored to be able to help develop sports programs in West Africa. Ndiaye, who has been NOC president since 2001, wasn’t able to say which issues he looks forward to working on most in his new role.
"That will come later," he laughed.
The Senegal NOC chief was one of two new members elected to the IOC on the final day of the 128th Session in Kuala Lumpur.
Nenad Lalovic of Serbia, who heads United World Wrestling, was also elected.
Presenting their nominations before the full IOC membership, IOC Member Elections Commission chair Princess Anne mentioned that the IOC had seen a "significant drop" in members representing Africa and summer sports federations over the previous few years.
For this reason, she said, and in keeping with Olympic Agenda 2020’s encouragement of geographic diversity in IOC membership, the commission had recommended the two individuals. Before their membership was rubberstamped, Senegal and Serbia had no representation on the IOC.
After the Session, IOC member Anita DeFrantz was pleased the two nominees had been affirmed, but put their elections in a different light.
"The way we do it at the IOC is by ability," she said, pointing out that members are not necessarily chosen for individual characteristics but rather for their unique or needed expertise.
She said the election of Ndiaye and Lalovic brought new, helpful voices to the IOC.
Fourteen members were re-elected en bloc to serve an eight-year term: Prince Albert, Syed Shahid Ali, Valeriy Borzov, Ottavio Cinquanta, Nawal El Moutawakel, René Fasel, Patrick Hickey, Willi Kaltschmitt, Gunilla Lindberg, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Irena Szewinska, C.K. Wu, Patrick Baumann and Rita Subowo.
Lindberg was also re-elected as an IOC Executive Board member.
José Perurena will stay on the IOC for another four years, for as long as he remains president of the International World Games Association, after the Session extended the age limit rule. IOC president Thomas Bach said the decision was in line with Agenda 2020, which calls for a strengthening of cooperation with other sports organizations.
Blatter Off IOC
FIFA president Sepp Blatter's term as an IOC member, a position he has held since 1999, ended today. Blatter wrote a letter to Bach on July 23 saying that he was not seeking re-election. He was set to leave the IOC in 2016 anyway when he turns 80. Blatter was not among the group who were awarded the Olympic Order today.
Six long-standing members whose mandates come to an end this year were elected IOC honorary members: Patrick Chamunda, James Easton, Julio César Maglione, Lambis Nikolaou, Olegario Vázquez Raña and Vitaly Smirnov. Five of them were awarded the Olympic Order –Vázquez Raña received the honor in 1986.
Olympic Orders were also awarded posthumously to Peter Tallberg and Reynaldo González López, who passed away this year.
Reported in Kuala Lumpur byKyle Rinaudo
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