LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) Jean-Christophe Rolland has been elected as the new president of the International Rowing Federation, replacing Denis Oswald in the role from July 2014.
The Frenchman received 117 of the 179 votes cast by member federations of FISA, defeating John Boultbee of Australia and Tricia Smith of Canada.
Rolland competed in three Olympics, winning a gold medal in Sydney in 2000 and a bronze in Atlanta four years earlier. He served on FISA's executive committee between 2004-11, before being appointed as a member of the governing body's council.
Oswald is stepping down after 24 years in the role but the Swiss has been made honorary president for life at FISA.
It was announced at the FISA congress that the 2017 world championships will be held in Sarasota, United States, and the 2018 event in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.