216 caps with Spain, 20 seasons in the NBA, more than 20,000 points in the American league… Pau Gasol is a legend of his sport. He has also just taken the head of the Athletes’ Commission at the IOC, a sign of his rapid rise in sports politics.
Meeting in Milan two days before the end of the Winter Games, the athletes’ commission appointed the 45-year-old Catalan as its head, who will remain in office at least until the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“Since my election to Tokyo in 2021, I have had an incredible, educational experience, and I look forward to continuing this journey,” said the former center of FC Barcelona, the Lakers, the Bulls, the Spurs and the Bucks.
A golden record
He succeeds the Finnish Emma Terho, who has occupied it since 2021 and had been reappointed twice, and the Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry, elected last year at the head of the IOC.
In addition to the Athletes’ Commission, he joined the 2028 Olympic Coordination Commission – responsible for supervising its preparations – as well as the Ethics Commission.
A Spanish basketball legend, the 2006 world champion and three-time European champion (2009, 2011, 2015) participated in five editions of the Olympic Games and won silver in 2008 and 2012, then bronze in 2016.
