The Swiss cross-country skiing legend Dario Cologna is among the candidates for the IOC Athletes’ Commission ahead of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games.

Former cross-country skier Dario Cologna is one of 11 candidates competing for two spots on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission.

The role of the IOC Athletes’ Commission is to protect the interests of athletes. This coming winter, two new representatives will be elected to the commission. Among the candidates is Dario Cologna.

See the complete list of candidates further down.

Cologna holds four overall World Cup titles, four overall victories in the Tour de Ski, and an impressive collection of Olympic and World Championship medals. The Swiss skier retired from World Cup competition in 2022 but has stayed in top form: last winter, he even claimed another gold medal.

Also Read – Swiss legends reunite: Cologna and team dominate Masters relay

Northug’s archrival

Dario Cologna and Petter Northug were fierce rivals during their prime years, around 2010, and up until Northug’s retirement in 2018. But Cologna remains one of Northug’s biggest competitors. Even after both 39-year-olds ended their World Cup careers, the rivalry continued, most recently during the 2025 edition of the Tour de Ski.

Read More:  Cologna and Bulle winners of ‘Rampa con i Campioni’

Exit Uhrenholdt Jacobsen

The two new representatives will replace outgoing members Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen, who represents cross-country skiing, and Finnish ice hockey player Emma Terho. Terho is also the chair of the Athletes’ Commission.

Uhrenholdt Jacobsen was elected to the commission in 2021.

The election of the two new representatives will take place during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, and they will serve for two Olympic terms, meaning until 2034. There are a total of 11 candidates, including several from cross-country skiing and biathlon.

In total, six of the 18 seats on the commission are currently held by representatives from winter sports, including French biathlon legend Martin Fourcade, who joined in 2022. Sweden is represented by alpine skier Frida Hansdotter.

These are the candidates:

• Dario Cologna (Switzerland, cross-country skiing)
• Adam Konya (Hungary, cross-country skiing)
• Johanna Talihärm (Estonia, biathlon)
• Ilkka Herola (Finland, Nordic combined)
• Yohan Gonçalves Goutt (East Timor, alpine skiing)
• Oleksandr Abramenko (Ukraine, freestyle skiing)
• Zhanbota Aldabergenova (Kazakhstan, freestyle skiing)
• Marielle Thompson (Canada, freestyle skiing)
• Cong Han (China, figure skating)
• Magnus Nedregotten (Norway, curling)
• Yunjong Won (South Korea, bobsleigh)

Voting will begin on January 30, 2026. All athletes participating in the Winter Olympics will be eligible to vote for one of the 11 candidates. The results of the election will be announced on February 19, a few days before the closing ceremony.

Once the two new members are elected, an internal vote will be held to choose a new chair and two vice-chairs, who will serve until the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

See Also: Here is the current IOC Athletes’ Commission

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing? Click HERE and read more about it.

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