Michelle Yeoh, the first Asian actress to secure an Oscar win, formally became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday (Oct 17). Michelle Yeoh, aged 61, is married to Jean Todt, the former head of the FIA, the governing body for motorsport, an organization that the IOC recognized in 2013. During its session in the Indian financial hub, the Olympic organization added her as one of the eight new proposed members.
Michelle Yeoh, a former Malaysian junior squash champion, claimed the Oscar for Best Lead Actress earlier this year for her remarkable performance in the movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” She made her Hollywood breakthrough when she portrayed the first-ever ethnic Chinese Bond girl in the 1997 film “Tomorrow Never Dies,” starring alongside Pierce Brosnan.
Yeoh’s extensive career also includes roles in iconic films like “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon,” the 2005 period drama “Memoirs of a Geisha,” and the 2018 romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians.” Beyond her acting, she’s also a producer and a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador.
In addition to Yeoh, the new IOC members include notable figures from diverse backgrounds. Judoka Yael Arad, who earned Israel’s first Olympic medal, Hungarian businessman and sports administrator Balasz Furjes, and Cecilia Roxana Tait Villacorta, a former Olympic volleyball medallist and politician from Peru, were among the five individual members. It’s worth noting that both Furjes and Mronz have spearheaded efforts, albeit unsuccessfully thus far, to bring the Olympics to Hungary and back to Germany, respectively.
Sweden’s Petra Soerling, the head of the International Table Tennis Federation, and South Korean Kim Jae-youl, the president of the International Skating Union, joined the IOC through their roles as heads of international federations. They also welcomed Mehrez Boussayene, the President of the Tunisian Olympic Committee, as a new member.