FIH President Els van Breda Vriesman has been appointed as one of the members of the Bid Evaluation Commission for the 2016 Olympic Games announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today.

A member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since her election as FIH President in 2001, van Breda Vriesman is no stranger to this role, having previously served on the Evaluation Commissions for the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Games.

The 2016 Bid Evaluation Commission has nine members, including the FIH President legendary Russian Swimming champion Alexander Popov and as head of the commission, 1984 400m hurdles Olympic champion Nawal El Moutawakel from Morocco.

With one more member and advisors to be appointed, the commission team will analyse the candidature files of the four bidding cities - Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid - that are due for submission to the IOC in February 2009, and subsequently visit the candidate cities to prepare a comprehensive report that will serve as an important source of information for the IOC members who are to elect a host city during the Copenhagen IOC Session in October 2009.

Commenting on the announcement, IOC President Jacques Rogge said: "The Evaluation Commission plays an important role in assessing the Candidate Cities' ability to host the Olympic Games. We have here a professional team with a wide range of knowledge and experience."