Iranian badminton player Soraya Aghaei Hajiagha (2nd L) poses with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry (2nd R) during her oath ceremony as the newly appointed member of IOC at the 145th IOC session ahead of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 4, 2026. (Daniel Munoz/POOL xia Xinhua)
MILAN, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) — International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice president Juan Antonio Samaranch of Spain was elected for a second four-year term on Wednesday.
The vote took place during the 145th IOC Session in Milan, just days before the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The session also elected three members to the IOC’s executive board: Ingmar De Vos of Belgium, Kim Jae-youl of South Korea and Chile’s Neven Ilic. In addition, Olympian Soraya Aghaei Haji Agha of Iran was elected as a new IOC member.
With Aghaei’s election, the IOC will have 107 members during the Games – 48 women and 59 men. That represents 44.9 percent female membership, marking continued progress toward gender balance within the organization. The membership includes 43 Olympians: 25 women and 18 men.
Aghaei was appointed to the IOC Athletes’ Commission in December 2025. She competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, becoming the first Iranian female badminton player to participate in the Olympics.
The three newly elected executive board members will begin their terms after the closing of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games.
De Vos succeeds Nenad Lalovic of Serbia, while Kim replaces Italy’s Ivo Ferriani, both of whom have completed their terms. Ilic fills the seat vacated by IOC President Kirsty Coventry following her election in March 2025. ■
Iranian badminton player Soraya Aghaei Hajiagha attends her oath ceremony as the newly appointed member of International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the 145th IOC session ahead of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 4, 2026. (Daniel Munoz/POOL xia Xinhua)
Iranian badminton player Soraya Aghaei Hajiagha speaks during her oath ceremony as the newly appointed member of International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the 145th IOC session ahead of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 4, 2026. (Daniel Munoz/POOL xia Xinhua)
Iranian badminton player Soraya Aghaei Hajiagha (L) is greeted by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry during her oath ceremony as the newly appointed member of IOC at the 145th IOC session ahead of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 4, 2026. (Daniel Munoz/POOL xia Xinhua)
