Chinese Olympic and world champion Yang Yang was approved on Sunday as one of the 15 candidates for the Athletes' Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The IOC executive board gave the go-ahead to the list of 15 athletes nominated by their National Olympic Committees, which also included cross-country skier Becky Scott of Canada, Alpine skier Janica Kostelic of Croatia and Georg Hackl of Germany in Luge.

Athletes participating at the Turino Winter Olympics in February 2006 will choose two of the candidates to replace Jari Kurri and Adne Sondral, the members to finish their term by then.

After acceptance by the IOC Session, those elected will become IOC members for the duration of their eight-year mandate within the Athletes' Commission.

Yang won gold medal in women's 500m short-track speed skating in2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games to end China's more-than-one-decade gold drought in the quadrennial event.

Yang was one of the candidates for the IOC Athletes' Commission but failed to be elected during the Salt Lake City Winter Games.

But Yang has been involved in the sports organization for long, being member of the Athletes Committee of the International SkatingUnion (ISU) and member of the Chinese Olympic Committee

She was also named among the newly-formed Athletes Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency late in March.

(Xinhua News Agency July 4, 2005)