Ten female and seven male athletes from 17 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) are set to compete for the two vacant seats on the commission - the most ever for a Winter Olympics.

Athletes competing at Beijing 2022 will be able to vote for their representatives in the Olympic Villages from January 27 - the day the Villages open - until February 16 2022.

Approval of the successful pair is subject to their qualification for the Games.

"The record number of candidates and global representation are a strong sign that athletes want to play a primary and active role within the Olympic Movement and make their voices heard, which is great," said Emma Terho, chairman of the IOC AC.

"All these candidates bring great value to the athlete community, and will add a new set of skills and expertise to the IOC Athletes’ Commission no matter who will be elected."

Five-times Olympic champion Martin Fourcade of France is one of the candidates.

The biathlete won two gold medals at Sochi 2014 in the 20 kilometre individual event and the 12.5km pursuit.

At Pyeongchang 2018, the 33-year-old was victorious in the 15km mass start, 12.5km pursuit and the mixed relay.

He also won one silver medal in Russia and one at Vancouver 2010, both in the 15km mass start event. 

Ireen Wüst is a strong contender for the position.

The speed skater became the youngest Dutch Winter Olympic medallist in history after winning the women's 3000 metre race at Turin 2006 aged 19.

She also won bronze in the 1500m.

Four years later she won gold again, this time in the 1500m race.

Her most prolific Games came at Sochi 2014 as she claimed gold in the 3000m and team pursuit as well as three silver medals in the 1000m, 1500m and 5000m events.

Yet another gold came at Pyeongchang 2018 for Wüst in the 1500m which was accompanied by two silver medals in the 3000m and team pursuit.

Alpine skier Frida Hansdotter is another gold medal-winning candidate.

The Swede recorded a time of 1 minute 38.63 seconds in the Pyeongchang 2018 women's slalom to be crowned Olympic champion for the first time.

Eva Samková of the Czech Republic has applied.

She won gold in the women's snowboard cross at Sochi 2014 before claiming bronze at Pyeongchang 2018.

Sochi 2014 bronze medallist Florence Schelling has also had her candidature approved.

She was goaltender for Switzerland's ice hockey team.

Three cross-country skiers - Jaqueline Mourão of Brazil, Greece's Maria Ntanou and Togo's Mathilde Amivi Petitjean - have all put their names forward.

They are joined by Slovenian ski jumper Jernej Damjan.

The bobsleigh trio of Nigeria's Seun Adigun, Israeli Adam Edelman and Oluseyi Smith of Canada have also applied for the positions.

Indian Shiva Keshavan, Romanian Raluca Strămăturaru and Te-An Lien of Chinese Taipei represent the luge candidates.

Speed skater Dalia Soberanis of Guatemala has applied as well as skeleton athlete Nathan Ikon Crumpton of American Samoa.

The elected athletes will replace current IOC AC member Hayley Wickenheiser of Canada who is finishing her term at the end of Beijing 2022 and Norwegian Ole Einar Bjørndalen who resigned from the IOC AC in 2016.

The IOC AC’s mission is to ensure that athletes have a say in the key decisions of the Olympic Movement as it serves as a link between competitors and the IOC.

The commission is made up of a maximum of 23 members who each serve a term of eight years.

An election is held at every edition of the Olympic Games, with four members chosen at each Summer Games and two at each Winter Games.

The final appointments will be made by the IOC President Thomas Bach, in consultation with the IOC AC chairman.