Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry has been elected as the new president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The 41-year-old former Olympic swimming champion becomes the first woman and the first African to hold the prestigious position in the organization’s 130-year history.
The election, held on Thursday in Greece, saw Coventry secure a decisive victory in the first round of voting.
She garnered 49 of the 97 available votes, surpassing World Athletics boss Lord Coe, who was among the favorites but received only eight votes. Runner-up Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. won 28 votes.
Coventry will succeed Thomas Bach, who has led the IOC since 2013, and will also be the youngest president in the organization’s history. Her tenure is set to begin in June and will last for at least eight years.
A decorated athlete, Coventry won two Olympic gold medals in the 200m backstroke, at the 2004 and 2008 Games, and has won seven of Zimbabwe’s eight Olympic medals.
“The young girl who first started swimming in Zimbabwe all those years ago could never have dreamed of this moment,” Coventry said in her acceptance speech. “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.”
Coventry described her election as an “extraordinary moment” and pledged to make IOC members proud of their choice.
Her campaign focused on modernizing the IOC, promoting sustainability, embracing technology, and empowering athletes. Notably, she has taken a strong stance on protecting female sport, advocating for a blanket ban on transgender women from competing in female Olympic events.
While celebrated globally, Coventry’s role as Zimbabwe’s sports minister since 2018 has drawn criticism within her own country.
She has defended her association with the government of controversial President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Governmental interference in football led to FIFA banning Zimbabwe from international competition in 2022, and last year, the United States imposed sanctions on Mnangagwa and other senior officials for corruption and human rights abuses.
The election took place at a luxury hotel near Olympia, the birthplace of the ancient Games. IOC members participated in a secret electronic ballot after a campaign process that restricted candidates to brief presentations, with media barred and limited opportunities for questions or debate.
BBC Sport editor Dan Roan described Coventry’s election as a “landmark moment for the IOC and for world sport.”
While acknowledging her trailblazing status as the first woman to hold the role, Roan also noted her position as an IOC insider, having served on its executive board. He observed that her convincing victory after a low-key campaign is likely a reflection of outgoing President Bach’s influence.
