MUMBAI: Malaysia’s renowned Oscar-winning actor, Michelle Yeoh, made history by becoming the first Asian woman to secure a seat on the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The accomplished actress, celebrated for her award-winning performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” received a resounding 67 votes in favor, with just nine opposing and one abstention.
The milestone was achieved during the final day of the 141st IOC session held in Mumbai, India, where Yeoh and seven other new members joined the prestigious committee. The actress, deeply moved by her election, placed her hand over her heart upon hearing the results, followed by the solemn taking of the Olympic oath with the newly elected members.
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This accolade adds to Yeoh’s remarkable career, which spans from her Hollywood breakthrough in 1997’s James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies” to iconic roles in martial arts classics such as “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.”
Accompanying Michelle Yeoh in Mumbai was her husband, Jean Todt, former president of the Fédération Internationale de ‘Automobile (FIA), the governing body for motorsport.
Other newly elected members alongside Yeoh include Israel’s first Olympic medallist, Yael Arad; Hungarian businessman and sports administrator Balazs Furjes; former Olympic medallist and Peruvian politician Cecilia Tait; and German sports entrepreneur Michael Mronz. These candidates were previously proposed as individual members by the IOC’s executive board in September.
