Olsson, who also won a gold medal at the 2003 World Championships, polled 536 votes in the election held during the European Championships, which finished in Zurich on Sunday (August 17).

Olsson, 34, retired due to injury in 2012 but was eligible to stand because the elections were open to any athlete who had competed in at least one of the European Championships during the last six years.

He had taken part in the 2011 European Indoor Championships in Paris. 

Olsson will be joined on the Commission by Bulgaria's 30-year-old Ivet Lalova, the 2012 European 100 metres champion, who earned 521 votes. 

She finished top in the women's election ahead of Norway's 22-year-old Isabelle Pedersen, the 2010 World Junior 100m hurdles gold medallist, with 401 votes and Finland's 26-year-old Hanna-Maari Latvala, the 2013 Universiade 200m silver medallist, with 399.

Bulgaria's Ivet Lalov topped the women's election for the European Athletics Athletes' Commission ©Getty Images

Olsson came first in the men's election ahead of Nicola Vizzoni, Italy's 41-year-old Sydney 2000 Olympic hammer silver medallist, and Greece's Periklis Iakovakis, the 2006 European 400m hurdles champion.

They received 379 and 302 votes respectively. 

A total of 678 athletes of the 1,447 who took part in the Championships voted, a figure which represents 46.86 per cent of those who participated in Zurich. 

Two more members of the Commission - a man and a woman - will be appointed by the European Athletics Council.

The newly elected Commission will replace the one elected in Barcelona four years ago.

It had been chaired by Finnish javelin thrower Mikaela Ingberg and included Sweden's former world high jump champion Kasja Bergqvist and the Czech Republic's double Olympic decathlon gold medallist Roman Šebrle.