Blitz Bureau
Zimbabwe’s Sports Minister Kirsty Coventry was elected as the first female and African President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on March 20, BBC reported.
She will replace Britain’s Thomas Bach – who has led the IOC since 2013 – on June 23 and be the youngest President in the organisation’s 130-year history, it said.
The 41-year-old former swimmer, who won two Olympic gold medals, secured a majority of 49 of the 97 available votes, while World Athletics boss Coe won eight.
Coventry’s first Olympics as the IOC chief will be the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in February 2026.
A powerful signal
“It’s a really powerful signal. It’s a signal that we’re truly global and that we have evolved into an organisation that is truly open to diversity and we’re going to continue walking that road in the next eight years,” Coventry was quoted as saying in the BBC report.
Runner-up Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr won 28 votes while France’s David Lappartient and Japan’s Morinari Watanabe earned four votes each. Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan and Sweden’s Johan Eliasch both took two.
Coventry, who already sits on the IOC Executive Board and was said to be Bach’s preferred candidate, is the 10th person to hold the highest office in sport and will be in post for at least the next eight years. She has won seven of Zimbabwe’s eight Olympic medals – including gold in the 200m backstroke at both the 2004 and 2008 Games.
“The young girl who first started swimming in Zimbabwe all those years ago could never have dreamed of this moment,” said Coventry. “I am particularly proud to be the first female IOC President, and also the first from Africa. I hope that this vote will be an inspiration to many people. Glass ceilings have been shattered today, and I am fully aware of my responsibilities as a role model,” she added. Coventry described her election as an “extraordinary moment” during her acceptance speech, and promised to make IOC members proud of their choice.
Coe congratulates
While Coe was disappointed with finishing a distant third, he accepted defeat and refused to be drawn into interpreting the vote. “We have an athlete at the helm of the organisation,” he said, and added, “We talked about it together a few weeks ago and we both agreed it was really important, and I’m very pleased for her. This is a very good result for the athletes.”
Coe further said, “I’ve congratulated her. She’s got a huge job, but she will have the confidence of the athletes, and that’s very important.”
