The OCA Athletes' Committee election results have been unveiled ©Getty Images

Three-time Olympic table tennis champion Ding Ning of China headlines a new nine-strong Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Athletes' Committee after elections were held alongside the Asian Games here.

The OCA has revealed the outcome of the first-ever election for the Athletes’ Committee after athletes were given the opportunity to cast their vote from September 18 until yesterday in Hangzhou.

Almost 8,000 athletes participated in the vote where they were able to choose one female and one male representative from each of the five zones of the OCA.

Ding saw off competition from Chinese Taipei swimmer Huang Mei-chien for the female spot in the East Asia Zone after receiving 56.97 per cent of the vote.

She will be joined in the East Asia zone by karateka Lee Chun-ho of Hong Kong who got the better of two shooters in Shin Hyun-woo of South Korea and Yang Kun-pi of Chinese Taipei, as well as Japanese high jumper Naoto Tobe.

Jordanian taekwondo athlete Julyana Al Sadeq and Saudi Arabian rower Husein Alireza were elected to represent West Asia.

Alireza overcame opposition from reigning Olympic high jump champion Mutaz Barshim of Qatar, Olympic karate bronze medallist Abdelrahman Al-Masatfa of Jordan, boxer Mohammed Al Qarnas of Yemen, middle-distance runner Adnan Taees Akkar of Iran, while Al Sadeq saw off Palestinian karateka Hala Al Qadi.

Chinese table tennis star Ding Ning has been elected onto the new OCA Athletes' Committee ©Getty Images
Chinese table tennis star Ding Ning has been elected onto the new OCA Athletes' Committee ©Getty Images

Turkmenistan will be represented twice in the Central Asia region, with swimmers Zulhumar Dashkinova and Merdan Atayev securing seats on the Athletes’ Committee.

London 2012 badminton bronze medallist Saina Nehwal of India was elected unopposed for the South Asia zone.

Singapore was also a big winner in the election with bowler Shayna Ng and gymnast Terry Tay chosen from the South-East Asia zone.

Tay stood without a challenge, while Ng beat softball player Francesca Altomonte of the Philippines, Malaysian bowler Shalin Zulkifli and Vietnamese judoka Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy for the female spot.

Those elected will be expected to select a chair and vice-chair of the OCA Athletes’ Committee, with the chair securing a seat on the organisation’s Executive Board.

It will be the first time the OCA has held an election for the Athletes’ Committee.

Japan's former sychronised swimmer Mikako Kotani currently chairs the group that features 14 other members.

The chair was previously nominated by their National Olympic Committee and elected by the OCA General Assembly, while the remaining members are selected by the organisation’s Executive Board from nominated candidates.