Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, who was barred from the Rio Olympics under a blanket doping ban, was elected as an athletes' representative on the International Olympic Committee on August 18.
Isinbayeva, who has never failed a drug test but got caught up in a ban imposed on Russia's track and field team, said her election was a sign she retains the trust of her fellow athletes.
Isinbayeva, 34, traveled to Rio despite the ban to secure an eight-year term on the committee's athletes' commission, which helps run the Olympics.
One of 23 candidates for the slot, Isinbayeva thanked the athletes who voted for her and promised to "protect the rights of clean athletes all over the world."
"It is very important for me because I was preparing for this Olympics for a long time and unfortunately I was not able to participate," she said. "It is kind of compensation for my competition here in Rio so I am very, very thankful."
Isinbayeva is the world record-holder in the women's pole vault and won gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
