The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), through a letter, confirmed on Tuesday the election of Croatia sitting volleyball star and captain Ivan Cosic to the inaugural WADA Athlete Council.
In line with recent governance reforms that are being implemented to ensure that athlete views and experiences are integrated within all levels of WADA’s structure, a 20-member WADA Athlete Council is being created with the term that will start from January 1, 2023.
On Wednesday, WADA announced the Group 1 appointed candidates and Group 2 elected candidates for the 2023 Athlete Council.
Group 1 is comprised of five athletes appointed by the International Olympic Committee’s and International Paralympic Committee’s Athlete Commissions, while Group 2 are composed of Cosic and seven other athletes from a list of 34 eligible candidates that were elected by their peers from the Athlete Commissions of International Federations.
Group 3 or the final seven athletes of the Council will be selected by the Athlete Council Appointment Panel to fill skills and diversity gaps. The Panel will be composed of two athletes from the new Council (one representative each from Groups 1 and 2) and one member of the WADA Nominations Committee.
“On behalf of WADA, I would like to extend our congratulations to the 13 new members for Groups 1 and 2 of the Agency’s Athlete Council. With this announcement, we are one step closer to our Athlete Council being realised, which is an exciting prospect for everyone involved. We were pleased to see that the Group 2 election ran smoothly, and we are confident that the appointment process for Group 3 of the Athlete Council will follow suit,” WADA President Witold Bańka said.
“I am surprised, humbled, and of course, honoured. Hopefully, I will prove a worthy asset to the WADA Athlete Council and do my best to represent the interest of my fellow athletes. None of this would be possible without the support and help from WPV, and I am incredibly grateful for that. I simply love the fact that I get to be involved in sports in so many ways, and I feel lucky to be able to do so and have the support of my family and friends in the ParaVolley world.”
– Ivan Cosic
Cosic began playing sitting volleyball at the international level in 2006. Being part of the competition and seeing the high-level of play of European teams inspired him to develop his own playing and leadership skills. His excellent communication skills paved the way for his involvement in team management and project management.
He has been leading the Croatian team as captain for several years now and is a valuable member of the World ParaVolley Athletes Commission. At the zonal level, he was re-elected as the athlete representative and concurrently serves at the Board of Administration of ParaVolley Europe.
The five athletes appointed by the IOC’s and IPC’s Athlete Commissions are listed below in alphabetical order by last name.
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Name
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Athlete Commission
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Sport
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Country
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1
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KAYANGE, Humphrey
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IOC
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Rugby (Rugby Sevens)
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Kenya
|
|
2
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TERHO, Emma
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IOC
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Ice Hockey
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Finland
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|
3
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VISSER, Jitske
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IPC
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Wheelchair Basketball
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Netherlands
|
|
4
|
WŁOSZCZOWSKA, Maja Martyna
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IOC
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Cycling (Mountain Bike)
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Poland
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|
5
|
ZHANG, Hong
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IOC
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Skating (Speed Skating)
|
China
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The eight newly elected athlete members are listed below in alphabetical order by last name.
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Name
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Sport Nationality
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Nominating International Federation
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1
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ĆOSIĆ, Ivan
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Croatia
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World ParaVolley (WPV)
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|
2
|
EGAN, Clare
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USA
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International Biathlon Union (IBU)
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|
3
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HARSS, Jennifer
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Germany
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International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)
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|
4
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HEGYI, Dora
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Hungary
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International Gymnastics Federation (FIG)
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|
5
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KIT, Kristen
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Canada
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World Rowing (WR-FISA)
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6
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RISKALLA, Rodolpho
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Brazil
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Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI)
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|
7
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SABLJAK, Ella
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Australia
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International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF)
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|
8
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ZECCHINI, Alessia
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Italy
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World Underwater Federation (CMAS)
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