Pylos, Mar. 20, (dpa/GNA) – Kirsty Coventry was elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday, making her the first woman and the first person from Africa to hold the top job in world sports.
Coventry, a double Olympic swimming champion and sports minister in her home country of Zimbabwe, surprisingly got an overall majority of 49 votes from 97 right in a first round of the IOC membership ballot from seven candidates.
Juan Antonio Samaranch, whose father of the same name was IOC president 1980-2001, was next best with 28. Sebastian Coe, a double Olympic champion, chief organizer of the London 2012 Games and World Athletics president, managed eight votes in third.
The others were international federation presidents David Lappartient (cycling, 4 votes), Johan Eliasch (ski and snowboard, 2) and Morinari Watanabe (gymnastics, 4), plus Jordan’s Prince Feisal al Hussein (2).
Coventry, 41, succeeds German Thomas Bach, whose tenure ends after 12 years. Bach will step down on Olympic Day June 23, with Coventry taking over as the 10th president in the 131-year history of the IOC the next day.
She won an eight-year term until 2033, and can then run for another one of four years.
“This an extraordinary moment,” she said in a first brief speech to the members, speaking of “a huge honour” and adding: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart and now we have some work to do together.”
Coventry has been an IOC member since 2013 and was said to be Bach’s preferred candidate, and in a rather open campaign a frontrunner together with Samaranch and Coe.
Coventry will be tasked to steer the IOC through difficult geopolitical times ranging from the Ukraine war to the Gaza conflict, and will deal with a new administration led by Donald Trump in the US which hosts the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Gender issues and climate change, making it more difficult to find future Winter Olympics hosts, are other important tasks as well as selecting Olympic hosts from 2036 onwards.
She said in an IOC statement: ““The young girl who first started swimming in Zimbabwe all those years ago could never have dreamt of this moment.
“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.
“Sport has an unmatched power to unite, inspire and create opportunities for all, and I am committed to making sure we harness that power to its fullest.”
“The future of the Olympic Movement is bright, and I can’t wait to get started!”
Bach said in the statement: “I warmly welcome the decision of the IOC members and look forward to strong cooperation, particularly during the transition period.
“There is no doubt that the future for our Olympic Movement is bright and that the values we stand for will continue to guide us through the years to come.”
Gender equality was one important element of Bach’s tenure. The Paris 2024 Games saw parity on the field of play while within the IOC the 15-strong executive board now has seven women. There are also more chairwomen of IOC commissions and more female IOC members than in the past.
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