China's Olympic champion Yang Yang confirmed as WADA vice presidential nominee

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- China's former Winter Olympic champion Yang Yang has been confirmed at the 134th IOC Session as the only candidate for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) vice president.

WADA President Sir Craig Reedie, making in his final presentation to the IOC Session, introduced the 43-year-old Yang and his successor Witold Banka, Poland's sprinter-turned Minister of Sport and Tourism, to the IOC members.

"I would like to congratulate the president and vice president of the organization. They will be elected during the world conference. I wish them every possible success. It's significant that both are former athletes.

"I have no doubt that all the voice of athletes will continue to be heard as well maintain its commitment to protect clean sports. The athlete will be the very center of the organization."

Yang became China's first Winter Olympic champion at Salt Lake City in 2002, when she took two gold medals and a silver in the short track speedskating event. She was an IOC member from 2010 until 2018, when she was appointed IOC Marketing Commission member.

She was nominated by the IOC Executive Board last month as the representative of the Olympic Movement for the vice presidency of WADA.

"It is a great honor to be nominated by the IOC and other sports federations," Yang told Xinhua. "I have been working hard to prepare myself for this job, which is so important for athletes from all over the world. "

"I will try my best to help make sports clean and put clean athletes first."

WADA had released a statement congratulating Yang on her nomination, describing her as "their preferred candidate for the position of WADA vice president."

Yang will succeed Norwegian politician Linda Helleland, who steps down from the role at the end of 2019.

The president and vice president of WADA will be formally elected by WADA's Board, the organization's supreme decision making body, at the World Conference on Doping in Sport 2019, which takes place in Katowice, Poland, from Nov 5-7, and each will assume their role for a three-year term from Jan 1, 2020.