German fencer Bokel elected chair of athlete panel

Former Olympic fencer Claudia Bokel of Germany has been elected chair of the IOC athletes commission and will serve on the rule-making IOC executive board.

Bokel defeated two other candidates - two-time Olympic skeleton athlete Adam Pengilly of Britain and four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Alexander Popov of Russia.

Bokel competed in three Olympics and won a team silver medal at the 2004 Athens Games. She has served as vice chair of the athletes panel since 2010.

Bokel will serve a two-year term. She succeeds former Namibian sprinter Frank Fredericks, whose term expired.

Athletes on the panel serve as IOC members for an eight-year term. The chair represents the athletes on the powerful executive board.