China's Li Lingwei will serve as an executive council member of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) for the next four years.

Li was one of the five members elected by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to serve in the executive council from 2022 to 2026, alongside four other members from India, Kazakhstan, Thailand and the Philippines. Their nomination was approved by the 26th ANOC General Assembly last Thursday (October 20).

Li, vice president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, is also a member of the International Olympic Committee.

"My election as an executive council member upon OCA nomination shows the Chinese Olympic Committee's important role in Olympic Movement," said Li.

During the ANOC Awards 2022, the Chinese delegation's freestyle skier Gu Ailing was named the best-performing female athlete of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, and the Chinese Olympic Committee received the award for the outstanding National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Beijing 2022.

They demonstrate that the Chinese Olympic Committee was an integral part of the Olympic Movement in Asia and beyond, Li said.

The General Assembly also elected Robin Mitchell of Fiji as ANOC president for 2022-2026, and H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar was elected as senior vice president.

The General Assembly, held from October 18 to 21 in Seoul, also approved the ANOC Sustainability Plan and Sustainability Pledge, which commits the organization to achieve several key targets, including reducing its carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2040. The initiative also supports NOCs in developing their own sustainability initiatives.

Li Lingwei's sports career:

As a 13-time world badminton champion, Li pocketed 48 gold medals in international and national badminton competitions from 1980 to 1989.

Li Lingwei's sports administration:

Vice President of the Chinese Badminton Association (2002-2017);

Member of the Executive Board of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) (2002-2017);

Member of the Executive Board (2004-2017) and then Vice President (2017-) of the Chinese Olympic Committee;

Deputy Chair of the International Relations Commission of the BWF (2009-2017);

Vice Chair of the Women's Commission of the BWF (2009-2017);

Member of the Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) (2009-);

Vice President of the Chinese Tennis Association (2012-2017);

Deputy Secretary General of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee (2014-2015);

Executive Board Member of the Organizing Committee of Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games (2017- 2022);

Board Member (2014-2021) then President (2021-) of the Samaranch Foundation.

(With input from Xinhua and Olympic.com)

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Beijing 2022 Olympic athletes honored at ANOC Awards 2022