New Zealand Olympian Marcus Daniell has been elected to the International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission.
The 34-year-old is one of four athletes today successfully elected to the Commission, which works to ensure that athletes' viewpoints remain at the heart of all decisions made within the Olympic movement.
Daniell is a two-time Olympian, having competed at the Rio 2016 Games, as well as the Tokyo Games
where he won bronze in the men’s doubles tennis, alongside teammate Michael Venus.
“I’m extremely honoured and to have been elected to the IOC Athletes’ Commission by my fellow Olympians,” said Daniell.
“Thank you to all of the candidates I met in Paris for being quality humans and giving each other energy. I’m very much looking forward to working with the IOC and the Athletes’ Commission to make the Olympics even better and harness the power of sport to improve the world.”
Daniell is also known for his work as an advocate for social good, establishing High Impact Athletes, which connects athletes with the most impactful charities around the world.
Daniell was nominated for the position following a thorough candidature identification process run by the NZOC Athletes’ Commission. He was elected for a term of eight years alongside Allyson Felix (USA, Athletics), Kim Bui (GER, Gymnastics) and Jessica Fox (AUS, Canoe).
NZOC President Liz Dawson congratulated Daniell on his election.
“It is fantastic to have New Zealand and our values further represented within such an important sporting body,” said Dawson.
“We congratulate Marcus on his election and look forward to working with him as he champions athletes within the Olympic movement.”
New Zealand Olympian #1101 Sarah Walker has sat on the IOC Athletes’ Commission since 2016 with her term set to end in 2024. She was last week made an IOC Member and will be part of the governing body responsible for overseeing the Olympic Movement.
All 10,500 athletes competing in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games were eligible to vote in the election. Daniell’s election will see him automatically receive a seat on the NZOC’s Athletes’ Commission.
About the IOC Athletes’ Commission:
The IOC AC is represented at all levels of decision-making in the IOC and its members are directly involved in all decisions taken by the IOC.
The IOC AC mission is to represent athletes within the Olympic Movement, support them so they can succeed in their sporting and non-sporting careers, and empower the network of athlete representatives.
Find out more about the Commission here.
Marcus Daniell Bio
Marcus Daniell created history at Tokyo 2020, winning bronze alongside teammate Michael Venus in the men's tennis doubles. It was New Zealand's first Olympic tennis medal in 109 years.
The duo was extremely impressive through their opening rounds, beating oppositions who were ranked far higher than them. In the bronze medal match, the Kiwis defeated the American pair of Austin Krajicek and Tennys Sandgren 7-6, 6-2 on court No 1 in one hour 48 minutes to claim the podium spot.
It was the second Olympic Games for Daniell. He also competed with Venus at Rio 2016, with the pair knocked out in the first round to the eventual silver medallists.
Daniell has won 5 ATP doubles titles and has been ranked as high as 34 in the world in 2018.
He is a passionate advocate for the power of sport to change the world, and has helped to establish High Impact Athletes, which connects athletes with the most impactful charities around the world.
Daniell was born in Masterton and now lives in Raglan.