Nawal El Moutawakel to chair IOC's Rio 2016 inspection team

FORMER Olympic champion Nawal El Moutawakel will chair the International Olympic Committee commission aimed at keeping the 2016 Olympics in Rio on track.

CLOSE TIES: Nawal El Moutawakel (centre) meets members of the Rio 2016 team an inspection visit. She will now head up the IOC's co-ordination commission (Getty Images)

El Moutawakel, who won 400m hurdles gold for Morocco at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, was the chairman of the panel who evaluated all the 2016 bids and has already forged a close relationship with Rio organising committee chief Carlos Nuzman.

"Nawal El Moutawakel is ideally suited to lead our highly experienced and multifaceted team of experts," said  Jacques Rogge, president of IOC.

"As an Olympic gold medallist and Chair of the IOC Evaluation Committee for the last two Olympiads, she knows the Games inside and out, is well-acquainted with the Rio organisers and has the experience and leadership abilities to ensure that Rio is 100 per cent ready to host a fantastic Games in 2016."

Former Olympic champions Alexander Popov and Sergey Bubka will also serve of the 18-strong panel.