Pau Gasol picked to represent athletes on IOC executive board through 2028 Games
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Former Los Angeles Lakers star Pau Gasol was elected Friday to serve on the International Olympic Committee’s executive board through the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
The two-time NBA champion was chosen by members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission during a meeting in Milan, becoming the first male athlete in 14 years to earn the post on the 15-member board.
Gasol, 46, has sat on the athletes’ commission since being voted an IOC member at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. “This is a big moment to be able to take on the responsibility of leading our commission,” he said in a statement released by the IOC.
The five-time Olympian helped Spain capture silver medals in men’s basketball at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 and a bronze in Rio de Janeiro 2016. His No. 16 jersey hangs in the Lakers’ home arena, which is scheduled to stage gymnastics and boxing during the 2028 Games.
Gasol, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023, follows former athlete delegates Emma Terho of Finland (ice hockey), Angela Ruggiero of the United States (ice hockey), Claudia Bokel of Germany (fencing), and Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe (swimming). Coventry’s stint on the board from 2018 to 2021 helped pave her way to becoming the IOC’s first female president last year.
Source: ESPN
