Monaco, June 24, 2022: World Athletics has received 12 nominations for the six available seats on the World Athletics Athletes’ Commission.
Among them are Japanese race walker Toshikazu Yamanishi, Doha 2019 world champion and Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist.
All athletes accredited for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 will have the right to vote in the elections, which will take place during the championships between July 15-20 in official team venues.
Yamanishi, who is the sole candidate from Asia, said: “I hope to serve you, my fellow athletes, in engineering and driving our sport forward globally, add an Asian and Japanese perspective, and create a circulation of diverse opinions and dialogue beyond the Euro-Americas and the rest of the globe.
“The epicentre of athletics may be in the Euro-Americas now, and that could be because of geographical distance or language. But we can go beyond these so-called boundaries, create something more than a two-way dialogue but a convectional dialogue from and between all corners of the globe.
“My Asian and Japanese background, a perspective of the host nation of the Olympic Games will be an asset for our cause. My experiences in international competitions can complement our agenda.
“From Donetsk, Ukraine, and from Taicang, Muscat, Jakarta, Taipei, La Coruña, through Doha and soon Eugene, the experience continues to be eye-opening.”