Princess Haya of Jordan Elected IOC Member

On July 7th, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, president of the Federation Equestre Internationale, was elected a member of the International Olympic Committee. She will act as an IOC representative in the United Arab Emirates. In her acceptance speech, she recalled her desire at an early age to become a part of the elite sporting body, saying: "Since the age of six I have followed the spirit of Olympism and dreamt of serving the Olympic Family. Now I have been honoured by the trust of the IOC through their election of me to their membership.”

Since 1999, the IOC term of office for all members was mandated to eight years, subject to review and renewal through re-election every eight years thereafter. Several royal members were up for renewal this year including: The Prince of Orange, Prince Albert of Monaco and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg.