Rio 2016 Coordination Commission Named

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has named a 17-member, multinational team of men and women to the Coordination Commission who will be responsible for assisting Rio 2016 during a period ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games as well as monitoring the progress of preparations.

Ms. Nawal El Moutawakel has been appointed by IOC President Jacques Rogge to chair the Coordination Commission. She has been an IOC member since 1998 and joined the IOC Executive Board in 2008, the same year she was appointed Chair of the 2016 Olympic Games Evaluation Committee. El Moutawakel is the former Minister of Youth and Sport in Morocco and an Olympic champion. She has also chaired the Evaluation Commission for the 2012 Olympic Games.

The members of the Coordination Commission comprise IOC members from five continents with wide-ranging Olympic Games experience gained from work on former IOC Evaluation or Coordination Commissions or with previous Games Organizing Committees, said a press release.

The members represent the many stakeholders of the Olympic Movement, including the athletes, the National Olympic Committees, and International Sports Federations, and act as a link between them, the Organizing Committee, and the other Olympic Family stakeholders.

IOC President Jacques Rogge said, "Nawal El Moutawakel is ideally suited to lead our highly experienced and multifaceted team of experts. As an Olympic gold medallist and Chair of the IOC Evaluation Commission for the last two Olympiads, she knows the Games inside and out, is well-acquainted with the Rio organizers, and has the experience and leadership abilities to ensure that Rio is 100 per cent ready to host a fantastic Games in 2016".

El Moutawakel said she was honoured to become the first woman to chair the Coordination Commission. "I am delighted to have been named as Chair of the Commission and am confident our team will help Rio deliver a memorable Summer Games in 2016. Having chaired the Evaluation Committee for the 2016 Games I have first-hand knowledge of the many strengths that Rio and Brazil have to offer, and together we will strive to showcase that to the world in six years".

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