IOC proposes 6 new members, including Prince Faisal of Jordan and UCI president McQuaid

Jordanian prince among 6 proposed new IOC members

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — A Jordanian prince, a Chinese speedskater and the head of cycling’s world governing body are in line to become members of the International Olympic Committee.

The IOC executive board on Wednesday nominated six new members — including three women — for election at the IOC general assembly in Vancouver in February. The elections are considered a formality.

The list includes Prince Faisal of Jordan, head of the country’s national Olympic committee and younger brother of King Abdullah II; China’s Yang Yang, a two-time Olympic female short track speedskating gold medalist; and Pat McQuaid of Ireland, president of UCI, the international cycling federation.

Faisal’s sister, Princess Haya, is already an IOC member and head of FEI, the international equestrian federation.

Also nominated were Barry Maister, secretary general of the New Zealand Olympic committee and a former gold medalist in field hockey; Maria Casada Estupinan of Spain, head of the International Triathlon Union; and Dagmawit Girmay Berhane, an official of the Ethiopian national Olympic committee.

The IOC currently has 112 members, but four will retire at the end of the year. The six new members will bring the total to 114, including 20 women.