Former Zimbabwean swimmer Kirsty Coventry elected first female and African president in IOC history
Coventry, who is also Zimbabwe's Minister of Sport, Art, and Recreation, also became the first African to hold the prestigious position after winning the elections held in Costa Navarino (Greece).
For the first time in more than 130 years of history, the most powerful organisation in international sports will be presided over by a woman after former Zimbabwean swimmer Kirsty Coventry, 41, won a Round One vote with a resounding majority to become the next president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on an eight-year term.
Coventry, who is also Zimbabwe's Minister of Sport, Art, and Recreation, also became the first African to hold the prestigious position after winning the elections held in Costa Navarino (Greece).
More To Read
She also becomes the youngest person to be elected president of the IOC, succeeding Germany’s Thomas Bach.
Coventry defeated the other six candidates in the first round of voting: Spain's Juan Antonio Samaranch, Great Britain's Sebastian Coe, Swedish-British Johan Eliasch, Jordan's Feisal Al Hussein, Japan's Morinori Watanabe, and France's David Lappartient. She will be the tenth person to hold the IOC presidency, since the organisation was established in 1894.
"This is an extraordinary moment. As a nine-year-old girl, I never thought I'd be standing up here one day, getting to give back to this incredible movement of ours," Olympics.com quotes President-elect Coventry as having told the session following her victory.
"This is not just a huge honour, but it is a reminder of my commitment to every single one of you that I will lead this organisation with so much pride, with the values at the core. And I will make all of you very, very proud and hopefully extremely confident in the decision that you have taken today. Now we've got some work together. This race was an incredible race, and it made us better and made us a stronger movement," Coventry added.
The 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, which will be held in Italy, will be the first Olympic Games that Coventry will preside over as IOC president. The event takes place in February of next year.
Kirsty Coventry was a celebrated Olympic swimmer, having won seven Olympic medals (two golds, four silvers, and one bronze) during her career, primarily in backstroke events. No other African athlete has won more Olympic medals than she has.
She represented Zimbabwe in five consecutive Olympic Games from 2000 to 2016.
Top Stories Today
