Mehrez Boussayène, president of the Tunisian National Olympic Committee has been proposed to become International Olympic Committee (IOC) member. He is among eight people nominated following the IOC Executive Board meeting held online on Friday. These eight nominated members will be formally voted during the 141st IOC session, which will take place in Mumbai, India, from October 15 to 17. The eight candidates underwent a rigorous screening process by the IOC Ethics Commission, chaired by former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, which conducted a thorough assessment of their integrity. "These candidates bring added value to the work of the International Olympic Committee due to their extensive experience in various fields," said IOC President Thomas Bach. "The common denominator among the candidates is their passion for sport and their commitment to the Olympic values and what the International Olympic Committee represents in this field." With this nomination, the President of the Tunisian National Olympic Committee will join the International Olympic Committee, becoming the second Tunisian Olympic figure to become a member of the IOC. The first was the late Mohamed Mzali, former President of the National Olympic Committee (1962-1987), who was an IOC member from 1976 until his death on 23 June 2010. Mehrez Boussayène is the only one of the eight candidates to be nominated in his capacity as President of a National Olympic Committee, a testimony to the recognition accorded to the Tunisian national body for its significant achievements and its prominence both nationally and internationally in recent years.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse