Canada's Marielle Thompson Named Candidate For IOC AC Election

Canadian Olympic champion Marielle Thompson was announced today as one of the 11 candidates endorsed by the International Olympic Committee Executive Board who will run in the International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission (IOC AC) election. In a process open only to the athletes at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, voting starts when the Olympic Village opens on January 30, 2026 and closes on February 18, 2026.

The mission of the IOC AC is to represent athletes within the Olympic Movement, support them to succeed in their sporting and non-sporting careers, and empower the network of athletes representatives. To fulfill its mission, the IOC AC acts as the link between athletes, the IOC, and the Olympic Movement, to ensure that the athletes’ viewpoint remains at the heart of Olympic Movement decisions. Commission members engage with athletes all over the world in order to represent them across the Olympic Movement. The membership vote is held at every Olympic Games, with four members elected at each Summer Games, and two at each Winter Games.

Thompson won gold in ski cross in her Olympic debut at Sochi 2014, sharing the podium with silver medallist teammate Kelsey Serwa. She competed at PyeongChang 2018 just four months after undergoing surgery for a ruptured ACL and MCL. In her first race after the injury, she posted the fastest time in the Olympic qualification round before being eliminated later in the competition. Thompson returned to the Olympic podium at Beijing 2022 where she captured the silver medal, less than a year after suffering another ACL tear which again required reconstructive surgery.

Since making her World Cup debut in December 2010, Thompson has become one of the world’s top ski cross stars. She was just 19 when she earned her first World Cup gold medal in February 2012. Now at 33, Thompson has 36 career World Cup wins, four Crystal Globes and three World Championship podium finishes.

Thompson has been a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission since 2024, and is an International Ski Federation (FIS) Ski Cross athlete representative. In addition to competing and training, she is an advocate for mental health and athlete well-being initiatives.

The candidates are:

• Oleksandr ABRAMENKO (Freestyle Skiing, Ukraine)
• Zhanbota ALDABERGENOVA (Freestyle Skiing, Kazakhstan)
• Dario COLOGNA (Cross-Country Skiing, Switzerland)
• Yohan GONCALVES GOUTT (Alpine Skiing, Timor-Leste)
• Cong HAN (Figure Skating, China)
• Ilkka HEROLA (Nordic combined, Finland)
• Ádám KÓNYA (Cross-Country Skiing, Hungary)
• Magnus NEDREGOTTEN (Curling, Norway)
• Johanna TALIHÄRM (Biathlon, Estonia)
• Marielle THOMPSON (Freestyle Skiing, Canada)
• Yunjong WON (Bobsleigh, Republic of Korea)

Thompson said “Competing in the Olympics has been the greatest privilege of my life. Becoming an Olympic Champion at Sochi 2014 and silver medallist in Beijing 2022 were defining moments, but my journey has been about much more than medals. It has been about resilience, learning from setbacks, and as my parents taught me – working hard every day. I understand what it means to train relentlessly, face injuries, and balance the immense pressure of competition. These experiences drive my passion and desire to give back. Through my experience on the Canadian Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission and as ski cross athlete representative, I have seen how strong representation can make a real difference. It’s why I am committed to being a proactive and engaged member ensuring that athletes from all sports and backgrounds have a voice in shaping the future of the Olympic Movement.”

“Working alongside Marielle on the COC Athletes’ Commission, I’ve seen firsthand how she leads with empathy, listens with intention and always puts athletes first. Marielle brings the same passion and resilience to advocacy that she brought to her sport, and I know she’d bring that same dedication to the IOC Athletes’ Commission. She’d be a phenomenal voice for athletes around the world.” added Philippe Marquis, two-time Olympian and Chair of the COC Athletes’ Commission

“When athletes bring their voices, experiences and values to the Olympic table, the entire Olympic Movement is stronger for it. A leader like Marielle, who has lived the triumphs, setbacks and everything in between, brings a depth of perspective and a thoughtful voice to the table that is tremendously valuable. We are so proud to see Marielle endorsed as a candidate for the IOC Athletes’ Commission election and hope to see her continue Canada’s strong history of athlete representation internationally.” concluded Tricia Smith, President, Canadian Olympic Committee