Michelle Yeoh has been nominated for International Olympic Committee membership. The Oscar-winning actress is a former junior Malaysian squash champion. Additionally, she is one of five people whom the IOC Executive Board has nominated for membership. "These candidates bring added value to the work of the IOC because of their experience and diverse expertise in different walks of life. What they all have in common is their love of sport and their strong belief in the Olympic values and what the IOC stands for," IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement. Michelle is a martial arts film legend. However, she earned her Western breakout role in the James Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies. She became the first openly Asian actress to win an Oscar earlier this year for Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Per ESPN, "The IOC currently has 99 invited members, including a selection of royalty, sports officials, former athletes and leaders from politics and industry. Their main role in the Olympic movement is confirming hosts for the Summer and Winter Games that were selected by the IOC administration and executive board." The other candidates nominated alongside Yeoh are Israeli judo medalist Yael Arad, Hungarian businessman Fürjes Balázs, Peruvian volleyball medallist and politician Cecilia Roxana Tait Villacorta, and German businessman Michael Mronz.
Yeoh To Be Ratified Next Month
Yeoh's membership is expected to be ratified next month at the IOC meeting in Mumbai. It's expected to be a busy session for the Olympic governing body. The new sports for the 2028 Games in LA were expected to be voted on. However, that is in doubt after the IOC postponed a vote on the eight sports earlier this week. Meanwhile, the IOC will also vote on three sporting member elections to IOC membership. Those are Petra Sörling, head of the International Table Tennis Federation, and Kim Jae-youl, head of the International Skating Union. Furthermore, Mehrez Boussayene, President of the Tunisian Olympic Committee, has also been nominated
As mentioned, one of the roles of IOC members is to ratify Olympic host cities. The next available Summer Olympics is 2036, with the host being picked sometime after 2025. Currently, bids have been submitted by Mexico, Indonesia, and Turkey. Meanwhile, Egypt, South Korea, China, India, Qatar, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Poland, and Canada may all potentially bid on the Games.
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