III Athletes’ Commission Assembly was held on Friday, August 5th, at the National Olympic Training Center in Koncha-Zaspa, Kyiv.
Every national Olympic sport federation selected two athletes who participated at two recent Summer or Winter Olympics as the delegates for the Assembly. More than tree dozens of Olympic medalists took part in the meeting.
Addressing the athletes' representatives, Sergey Bubka, who is ex-Chair and Honorary member of the IOC Athletes' Commission, said, 'Athlete is the essence of sport. But we should also be aware that the role of athletes in society is enormous nowadays. There is no doubt that athletes' opinion should be considered at the process of making every significant sport decision. NOC makes its best to delegate as more power as possible to the athletes, to use their knowledge, experience and their own vision for the sake of sports'.
Bubka praised the achievements of the Commission chaired previously by hammer throw olynmpicmedalists Oleksandr Krykun, saying, 'I was happy to see that the Commission members demonstrated theiractive position for promoting Olympic values, taking part in the NOC projects, supporting their fellow athletes in the national federations. Ukraine athletes were also represented in the international institutions – Natalya Dobrynska was elected as EOC Athletes' Commission, Inga Babakova – as EOC Athletes' Commission member, while Viktoria Koval chaired the World Archery Athletes' Commission'.
The delegates admitted the positive results of the efforts of the previous Commission's composition and elected new members for the period of 2014-2018. The following athletes were elected to the Ukraine NOCAthletes' Commission:
Anna Bessonova, rhythmic gymnastics
Andriy Deryzemlya, biathlon
Valery Gontcharov, artistic gymnastics
Olga Kharlan, fencing
Olena Kostevych, shooting
Iryna Merleni, female wrestling
Dmytro Mytsyk, alpine skiing
Olga Saladukha, athletics
Olexiy Torokhtiy, weightlifting
Oleksandr Usyk, boxing
New composition of the Athletes' Commission will meet on September 12, electing new Chair of the Commission and revealing its plans for future activity.
