Julian Fletcher and Jessica Lewis have been appointed as chairman and vice-chairwoman to the Bermuda Olympic Association Athletes Commission.

An election was held to elect five eligible candidates as members for the next Olympic until the Paris 2024 Games.

The role of the Athletes Commission is to advise and make recommendations to the BOA on all matters related to Bermudian athletes.

The Athletes Commission represents the views and opinions of the athletes to ensure their voice is heard within the BOA and the Olympic Movement.

Over the course of the election, 13 candidates were nominated to represent the voice of athletes. To be an eligible candidate the athletes must have competed in the last eight years, or three Olympic Games at the CAC, Commonwealth Games, Pan Am Games, the Olympic Games and/or be on the BOA Elite Athlete list as of the start of the election period.

The voting athletes came from this same pool of members. Voting took place online from April 15 to 22. Out of all eligible athletes there were 45 responses, and 51.1 per cent participation among athletes.

The top five candidates elected were Lewis (para athletics), Fletcher (swimming), Dage Minors (athletics), Caitlin Conyers (cycling) and Tyler Butterfield (triathlon).

The goal of the Athletes Commission during this election was to find candidates that represent a diverse background in sport and select a gender-equal committee that best represents Bermudian athletes. Each of the 13 candidates are committed representatives in their sport and come from a wide range of experience in sport and sport management.

The five elected athletes can be further compiled as two Olympians, one Paralympian, two female, three male and four active athletes.

Subsequently, the Athletes Commission met on June 6 to vote in the two top positions. Fletcher was re-elected as chairman and Lewis was elected unanimously as vice-chairwoman by the existing membership of the Athletes Commission.

The Athletes Commission maintains communication with its IOC and Pan Am Sports counterparts to create opportunities for Bermudian athletes, consults with present athletes to provide transparency and support, and makes related recommendations within the BOA to provide feedback on projects to the General Assembly.