Milano Cortina 2026 Olympians elect Yunjong Won and Johanna Talihärm as new members to IOC Athletes’ Commission
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—- The athletes competing at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games have elected Yunjong Won (KOR, bobsleigh) and Johanna Talihärm (EST, biathlon) to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission (AC), for a term of eight years ending at the Utah 2034 Olympic Winter Games .
The new members will contribute to ensuring that the athletes’ voice remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement’s decisions and will support their fellow athletes throughout their careers on and off the field of play.
The new members of the IOC AC are:
Yunjong Won (Republic of Korea, bobsleigh): A silver medallist at PyeongChang 2018, he also competed at Sochi 2014 and Beijing 2022.
Johanna Talihärm (Estonia, biathlon): A four-time Olympian, she competed at Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, Beijing 2022 and Milano Cortina 2026.
“I would like to congratulate Yunjong Won and Johanna Talihärm on their election to the IOC AC,” said Emma Terho, IOC AC Chair. “With their passion, experience and unwavering commitment to athletes, they will bring fresh vision and renewed energy to the IOC AC, helping shape a future where every athlete feels supported, empowered and truly heard.“I also want to thank all the candidates for showing their dedication to representing athletes around the world. I was delighted to see the high turnout of athletes participating and sharing their voice in the IOC AC election.”Outstanding participation in AC election at Olympic Winter GamesBetween 30 January and 18 February, 2,393 athletes cast their vote at the voting booths located across all Olympic Villages at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. This represents a participation rate of 83.4 per cent, the second highest at any Games since the first IOC AC election at Atlanta 1996.A total of 11 athletes stood for election, representing 11 different National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and five different sports.The two new members will join the IOC AC upon the completion of Milano Cortina 2026 and will serve eight-year terms, which will finish at the conclusion of Utah 2034.The results of the election can be found here.Outgoing membersEmma Terho was elected by her peers at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and has completed her term, as has Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen, who took over Kikkan Randall’s position in 2021 until the end of her term.Additionally, two appointed members, second Vice-Chair Abhinav Bindra (India, shooting) and Hong Zhang (People’s Republic of China, speed skating), have reached the end of their terms.    The IOC AC Chair sits on the IOC Executive Board, representing athletes at the highest level within the IOC. There are 15 IOC AC members representing athletes in the IOC Session, matching the number of representatives from NOCs and International Federations.About the IOC Athletes’ CommissionThe IOC Athletes’ Commission plays a central role within the Olympic Movement, representing the global athlete voice within the IOC and beyond. The Commission is composed of a maximum of 23 members, 12 of whom are directly chosen through elections during the Olympic Summer and Winter Games, with a maximum of 11 appointed members to ensure a balance between genders, regions and sports.Additional information about the IOC AC can be found here.
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