MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

African woman Coventry wins IOC presidency at first try

Until 1981 there were no female members of the IOC, the two-time gold medalist recalled

Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry was elected Thursday as the tenth International Olympic Committee (IOC) President during the body's 144th Session in Costa Navarino, Greece. The 41-year-old former seven-time Olympic swimming medal winner will succeed Germany's Thomas

 Bach on June 23 to become the first woman and first African to hold the position. While various rounds of voting had been anticipated, Coventry got the minimum 49 endorsements after only one casting. Her election marked a historic shift for the IOC, signaling greater diversity and globalization.

Coventry joined the IOC in 2013 when Bach was first chosen president. She will now pick up his baton for an eight-year term with a possible four-year extension. She has also served as Zimbabwe's Minister of Youth, Sports, Arts, and Recreation since 2018 and chaired the IOC Athletes' Commission, campaigned on modernizing the Olympic movement, boosting youth engagement, enhancing athletes' roles in decision-making, and promoting digital transformation and sustainability.

“It is a signal that we are truly global,” Coventry said after obtaining 49 of the 97 votes at stake. Asked about her future meeting with US President Donald Trump regarding the Los Angeles 2028 Games, Coventry admitted that “I have been dealing with let's say difficult,” taking a pause, “men in high positions since I was 20 years old. What I have learned is that communication will be key,” she said.

“This is not just a huge honor, but it is a reminder of my commitment to every single one of you that I will lead this organization with so much pride,” she also pointed out after beating Spain's Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, who got 28 votes, and Britain's Sebastian Coe, who got only 8, despite being deemed the frontrunner in previous days. Also vying for the position were Frenchman David Lappartient, Jordan's Prince Feisal Al Hussein, Swedish-born Johan Eliasch, and Japan's Morinari Watanabe. “I will make all of you very, very proud, and hopefully extremely confident with the choice you've taken today, thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she added.

“I'm going to sit down with President Bach. We're going to have a few months for a handover takeover. And what I want to focus on is bringing all the candidates together. There were so many good ideas and exchanges over the last six months,” she also mentioned.

“Look at the IOC and our Olympic movement and family and decide how exactly we're going to move forward in the future. What is it that we want to focus on in the first six months? I have some ideas, but a part of my campaign was listening to the IOC members, and hearing what they have to say and hearing how we want to move together,” Coventry further noted.

“Bear in mind this is an organization that's not just having its first female president: Up until 1981, there were no female members of the IOC, so truly a breakthrough time for the International Olympic Committee,” the two-time gold medalist also underlined.