Former basketball player and lawyer, Damaris Young, was elected as a new leader of the Olympic Movement following the 142nd session of the International Olympic Committee held in France, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Young becomes the first Panamanian woman and the second Central American to be selected as a member of the IOC.

The current president of the Panamanian Olympic Committee (COP) has been a part of the Athlete Environment Commission since 2015 and assumes her new position after receiving 82 votes in favor and 2 against. As a national basketball player, Young won the gold medal at the 2013 Central American Games and specialized in sports management as a lawyer.

After the ceremony, Damaris said, “It is a great honor and privilege, above all a great responsibility to continue working for the Olympic Movement, for the principles and values of Olympism worldwide; but with an emphasis on our region. It is a great pride for me to be Panamanian.”

Damaris has demonstrated great leadership in the sports field. As the leader of the COP, she has achieved significant organizational efforts, coordinating and developing studies and books on Panamanian sports history, with an emphasis on promoting Olympic values. Her goal is to foster the growth of sports in her country and the region.