Shauna Coxsey recently announced her retirement from sport climbing. Photo: Bob Smith/grough

Climbing Olympian Shauna Coxsey has been elected president of the athletes’ group on the body that oversees sport climbing.

UK climber Coxsey took up the post following a recent meeting of the athletes’ commission of the International Federation of Sport Climbing in Moscow.

The former bouldering world cup title holder and world championship medallist was previously a vice-president of the IFSC’s athletes’ commission.

She announced her retirement from sport climbing after failing to progress to the finals in the Tokyo Olympics in August.

Shauna Coxsey said: “After 24 years’ climbing, and over a decade competing as a professional athlete, I feel it pertinent to use my experience and give back to the sport that’s given me so much.

“I have long been passionate about being a part of the positive development of our sport.

“Having recently retired from professional competition climbing I have both the understanding of what it takes to be up on the stage, and the distance and perspective of now being on the other side of the fence.

“As well, I have also spent the last two years sitting on IFSC executive board as the athletes’ commission vice-president. There are lots of opportunities as well as challenges for our sport over the coming years and I am looking forward to working closely with the IFSC to make sure the athletes voice is at the heart of our sports development.”

Coxsey succeeded Canadian climber Sean McColl as commission president. He will retain his seat on the commission as a member, alongside the newly elected Michael Piccolruaz of Italy, who replaces the Netherlands’ Jorg Verhoeven. Olympic bronze medallist Jakob Schubert of Austria, Anna Tsyganova of Russia, and Dmitrii Timofeev of Russia were all reconfirmed as commission members after their four-year terms.

The six athletes elected in Moscow, including president Shauna Coxsey, will join those elected in 2019 to the commission. A meeting is yet to be scheduled to select a vice-president, who will sit alongside Coxsey as athlete representative on the IFSC executive board.

IFSC president Marco Maria Scolaris said: “Congratulations to Shauna Coxsey, one of our first Olympians, on her election as athletes’ commission president.

“I look forward to continuing our work together and bringing the voices of the athletes to the executive board.

“A special thanks goes to Sean McColl for the time he has dedicated to this position over the last years and will continue to do so as a member of the commission.”