COSTA NAVARINO, March 20, 2024 – Tony Estanguet, who served as the President of the Paris 2024 Organsing Committee from 2017 to 2024, has rejoined sport's most exclusive club after being elected as an IOC member today at the 144th IOC Session in Costa Navarino, Greece.

The Frenchman’s election was a formality. As a sign of his popularity, he secured 98 votes for and 3 against with 0 abstention from the IOC membership, which includes former and current Olympic athletes, international sports leaders, royalty, politicians, diplomats, industrialists and an Oscar-winning actress.

The three-time Olympic champion, with individual canoe slalom golds at the Sydney, Athens and London Games, returns to the fold as an “independent individual” having previously served as an IOC athlete member from 2013 to 2021 - while he was a member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission. He was vice chair of the commission from 2016 to 2018. 

During his initial eight-year term in the IOC membership, he served as a member of several IOC Commissions including Olympic Solidarity from 2014 to 2021, Sport and Environment from 2014 to 2015, Sustainability and Legacy from 2015 to 2018 and Legal Affairs from 2016 to 2018. 

Following the success of the Paris 2024 project to which Estanguet dedicated nine years of his life, right from when he co-chaired the bid committee, the 46-year-old was in January 2025 proposed for membership by the IOC Executive Board. According to the IOC, the nomination was possible in accordance with Rule 16.1.1. of the Olympic Charter which allows for up to seven IOC members to be elected in special cases without a nationality or National Olympic Committee (NOC) requirement.

RE-ELECTION OF 10 IOC MEMBERS IOC presidential candidate Juan Antonio Samaranch was among the 10 IOC members re-elected during today’s session for another eight years, with the age limit being taken into consideration for the end of the terms (80 for those elected before December 1999 and 70 for those elected after that date). All 10 members received 104 out of 105 valid votes, with one “no”.

Samaranch, 65, whose new term as an IOC member will expire in 2029, may then be proposed for a four-year age limit extension until 2033. The IOC vice-president from Spain was elected as an IOC member in 2001 at the same session that marked the end of his father, Juan Antonio Samaranch senior’s reign as IOC president.

Princess Nora of Liechtenstein, who is currently the oldest serving IOC member, was also re-elected. Elected into the IOC in 1984, Princess Nora, who turns 75 years in October, was president of the Liechtenstein Olympic Committee (1982-1992) and has been the president Special Olympics Liechtenstein since 2002. She is the IOC’s Delegate Member for Protocol and a member of the IOC Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission.

Russian Shamil Tarpishchev, 77, and 75-year-old Singaporean Ser Miang Ng, former IOC vice-president and chairman of seven IOC Sessions, also renewed their IOC membership. Like Princess Nora, they were also elected before December 1999.

The other re-elected IOC members were; Lydia Nsekera from Burundi, Baklai Temengil from Palau, Kristin Kloster from Norway, KhunyingPatama Leeswadtrakul from Thailand, Mr Jean-Christophe Rolland from France and Ingmar De Vos from Belgium.

NEW IOC VICE-PRESIDENT Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant was elected as an IOC vice-president, replacing Nicole Hoevertsz, who leaves the IOC EB at the end of the 144th IOC Session following the conclusion of her 8-year term. Emma Terho, who represents the voice of the athletes in the IOC EB was re-elected, alongside Kristin Kloster as IOC EB members, while Spyros Capralos and from Greece and Octavian Morariu have been elected as IOC EB members.

EXTENSION OF TERM President of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Spyros Capralos from Greece, who was elected as an IOC member in 2019 and will reach the age limit of 70 at the end of this year, was granted a four-year extension starting from 1 January 2026 until the end of 2029. Out of 101 valid votes, he received 95 for and 6 against.

CHANGE OF STATUS A change of status was granted to Mehrez Boussayene from Tunisia and Neven Ilic from Chile – from membership related to a function within an NOC or a Continental Association of NOCs to independent individual. Boussayene’s membership was previously linked to his function as president of the Tunisian National Olympic Committee, while Ilic’s membership was linked to his function as the president of Panam Sports. The IOC Session also endorsed the change of status of Ingmar De Vos, from membership related to his function as president of the FEI to a membership linked to his function as president of ASOIF.

HONORARY MEMBERS The list of IOC Honorary Members has now increased to 41 with the election of 68-year-old Marisol Casado and 73-year-old Zaiqing Yu from China, both of whom have served the IOC for 15 and 25 years, respectively. Casado’s term as an Honorary Member starts on 22 April 2025 when her term as International Triathlon Union (ITU) president comes to an end - her IOC membership since 2010 was linked to that role. She will be awarded the Olympic Order on Friday. Yu’s status as an Honorary Member starts on 1 January 2026. He has been an IOC member since 2000 - linked to his function as vice-president of the Chinese Olympic Committee - and will retire at the end of this year having completed his one-time extension term of office for a maximum of four years beyond the age limit of 70.