Coventry up for election

in the 100m backstroke and 200m individual medley events, the 28-year-old Zimbabwean swimming icon has another fish to fry during the London Games.
Coventry, a two-time Olympic 200m backstroke champion, will be vying for a place in the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission. She will be one of 21 candidates vying for four posts into the IOC Athletes’ Commission during the elections that will be done at this year’s London Games.
Four posts on the Athletes’ Commission are up for grabs, with current members Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj, Rania Elwani of Egypt, Namibia’s Frank Fredericks and Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic all finishing their terms of office next summer.
The IOC Athletes’ Commission is a body comprising of former and current Olympians. The athletes have their own commission whose role is to make sure their interests are protected.
In fact in 1981, the then-IOC president, Juan Antonio Samaranch, created the IOC Athletes’ Commission. Its creation was confirmed by Rule 21 of the Olympic Charter.
The commission, which meets once or twice a year, serves as a consultative body and is the link between active athletes and the IOC.
The commission represents athletes within the Olympic Movement and also upholds the rights and obligations of the athletes.
Members of the Athletes’ Commission are involved in the IOC’s main commissions and working groups.
The Chair of the Athletes’ Commission serves as a member of the IOC Executive Board and the Commission makes recommendations to the IOC’s executive bodies.
The Athletes’ Commission also works in liaison with commissions of the Continental Associations, individual National Olympic Committees and the International Sports Federations.
Every two years the Commission also organises an Athletes’ Forum, where athletes from around the world and representatives of the International Federations of Olympic sports and the five Continental Associations of National Olympic Committees meet to discuss topics of direct concern to them.
On July 16, the official opening of the Olympic Villages for the London 2012 Games also marked the first day of elections for the IOC Athletes’ Commission.
From July 16 to August 8, all the competitors are invited to vote for those they would like to have as representatives within the Olympic Movement for the next eight years.
Only National Olympic Committees (NOCs) with an athletes’ commission were eligible to put forward a candidate. The candidates themselves must have taken part in the Beijing 2008 Games or be taking part in the London 2012 Games.
All athletes participating at London 2012 will be eligible to vote.
They will be asked to elect four candidates from four different sports to ensure a varied representation from the Olympic sports programme.
Voting offices will be set up in each of the three Olympic Villages in London, Weymouth and Portland (sailing), and Eton Dorney (canoeing and rowing), as well as in the cities hosting the football competitions.
After approval by the IOC Session, the four elected athletes will become IOC members for an eight-year term of office. The results will be announced at 2pm on August 9 at the Press centre in the London Olympic Village.
After approval by the IOC Session on August 12, the four elected athletes will become IOC members for eight years. And Zimbabwe’s Coventry will be vying for one the four places vacant in the Athletes’ Commission during this year’s elections in which she is the only candidate from Africa.
In fact, Coventry will be banking on the support of fellow African athletes who will be taking part at this year’s Olympic Games in London.
Since 1996, the majority of the Commission’s members (12 of 19) have been elected by their peers during an edition of the Olympic Games.
The 21 candidates (in alphabetical order)
Surname    Forename     NOC    Sport   
AL-Attiya    Nasser    QAT    Shooting
Aschwanden Sergei    SUI    Judo
Barrufet    David    ESP    Handball
Bartekova    Danka    SVK    Shooting
Cavic    Milorad    SER    Aquatics
Chu    Mu-Yen    TPE    Taekwondo
Coventry    Kirsty    ZIM    Aquatics
Dekker    Femke    NED    Rowing
Estanguet    Tony    FRA    C/Kayak
Feitor    Susana    POR    Athletics
Holm    Stefan    SWE    Athletics
Koval    Viktoriya    UKR    Archery
Larsen    Eirik Verâs    NOR    C/Kayak
Murofushi    Koji    JPN    Athletics
Perez    Jefferson    ECU    Athletics   
Primorac    Zoran    CRO    T/tennis
Rossi    Antonio    ITA    C/Kayak
Saei    Hadi    IRI    Taekwondo   
Saive    Jean-Michel    BEL    T/tennis
Spotakova    Barbora    CZE    Athletics
Tomkins    James    AUS    Rowing