IAAF and CAA Council Member Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco has been appointed to chair the Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced today.

El Moutawakel will lead a 17-strong, multinational team of men and women, who will be responsible for assisting the Rio 2016 Organising Committee during the period leading up to the Olympic Games, as well as monitoring the progress of preparations.

An IOC member since 1998, El Moutawakel joined the IOC Executive Board in 2008, the same year that she was appointed as the Chair of the 2016 Olympic Games Evaluation Committee. She is the former Minister of Youth and Sport in Morocco and an Olympic champion, having won gold in the 400m Hurdles at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. She also chaired the Evaluation Commission for the 2012 Olympic Games.

"Nawal El Moutawakel is ideally suited to lead our highly experienced and multifaceted team of experts," said IOC President Rogge. "As an Olympic gold medallist and Chair of the IOC Evaluation Committee for the last two Olympiads, she knows the Games inside and out, is well-acquainted with the Rio organisers and has the experience and leadership abilities to ensure that Rio is 100 per cent ready to host a fantastic Games in 2016."

El Moutawakel said she was honoured to become the first women to chair the Coordination Commission.

"I am delighted to have been named as Chair of the Commission and am confident our team will help Rio deliver a memorable Summer Games in 2016," she said. "Having chaired the Evaluation Committee for the 2016 Games, I have first-hand knowledge of the many strengths that Rio and Brazil have to offer, and together we will strive to showcase that to the world in six years' time."

Also named to the commission was IAAF Senior Vice President Sergey Bubka of Ukraine, and Alex Gilady of Israel, Chairman of the IAAF Television Commission.