Terho saw off rival candidate Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia, a two-time Olympic pole vault champion, in a vote held at a meeting of the Commission today.

She succeeds Kirsty Coventry and will take the Zimbabwean's place on the ruling IOC Executive Board.

South Korean former table tennis player Ryu Seung-min was chosen as vice-chair following the election of Terho, who had stood for both positions.

Ryu, unable to attend the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after he tested positive for COVID-19, replaces Slovakian Danka Barteková after she failed with her bid for re-election to the Commission.

Terho became part of the Athletes' Commission and a full member of the IOC during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

The 39-year-old - who won bronze medals at Nagano 1998 and Vancouver 2010, as well as four World Championships - has been given several high-profile roles within the IOC since joining the organisation three-and-a-half years ago.

Terho serves on the Coordination Commission for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing and on the Olympic Programme Commission.

IOC President Thomas Bach congratulated Terho, whose position on the Executive Board will be rubber-stamped by the Session on Sunday (August 8), following her election as chair.

Four athletes - Spanish basketball legend Pau Gasol, Italian swimmer Federica Pellegrini, Japanese fencer Yuki Ota and Polish cyclist Maja Martyna Włoszczowska - were elected to the IOC Athletes' Commission following a vote among competitors at Tokyo 2020.

They will be sworn in as IOC members at the Session here on Sunday.

The four replaced the outgoing Coventry, Bartekova, France's Tony Estanguet and Australia's James Tomkins.

Stefan Holm of Sweden, an appointed Commission member, has also finished his term.

IOC President Thomas Bach has appointed Kenyan rugby sevens player Humphrey Kayange to the Athletes' Commission to reflect gender balance and he will also become a full member.

Coventry's departure freed up a space for an African athlete to join the group, Bach said.

Kayange, the chair of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya Athletes' Commission, received the highest number of votes of the African candidates who stood in the election at the Games.

The 39-year-old, who represented Kenya when rugby sevens made its Olympic debut at Rio 2016, finished ninth of the 30 candidates on 1,127 votes.

Athletes appointed to the Commission do not automatically become IOC members.

India's Abhinav Bindra, Jordanian Nadin Dawani and Egyptian Aya Medany are the appointed members due to leave the Commission at the end of Tokyo 2020, but they could be given another term.