Olympic champion Kirsty Coventry elected 10th IOC President
Coventry is the first woman and first African to be elected to this role.
Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe was elected as the tenth President of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday, becoming the first woman and first African to hold the position in the organization’s history.
Coventry, 41, is the most decorated Olympian from Africa, competing at five Olympics during a decorated swimming career which included winning seven medals between the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Games. She won back-to-back gold medals in the 200m backstroke, as well as four silvers and a bronze across other events.
She has also worked as a sports administrator since retiring after the 2016 Olympics, including the IOC Athletes' Commission and Executive Committee.
Coventry was chosen by IOC members over fellow presidential candidates HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, David Lappartient, Johan Eliasch, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., Lord Sebastian Coe and Morinari Watanabe.
Coventry won 49 of 97 votes to secure a majority and end the election after just one round of voting, when several rounds were expected to reach the required 49+ votes. Samaranch, the son of the former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, finished second with 28 votes, Coe finished third with eight votes, while everyone else had between two and four each.
Coventry was supported by Canadian Olympic Committee president Tricia Smith with the nation’s lone vote.
"I am incredibly honoured and excited to be elected as President of the International Olympic Committee,” Coventry said in her acceptance speech. “I want to sincerely thank my fellow members for their trust and support.
“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,” she added. “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 will officially take office in June, when the term of outgoing President Thomas Bach comes to an end. Bach was first elected in 2013 and served his full eight year term before being re-elected for an additional four — the maximum 12 years allowed. Coventry’s term will last until 2033, after the Brisbane 2032 Summer Olympics and before Salt Lake City’s Winter Olympics in 2034. Hosts for either edition of the Olympics have not been decided beyond that, and will be key decisions during Coventry’s time in charge.
She will join Bach as the only Olympic champions to serve as IOC President, and she was seen for years as her mentor’s preferred candidate to take over for him in the top job.
Bach’s term will end on June 23, Olympic Day, after which he will assume a new role as Honorary President of the IOC. During his term he oversaw three summer and three winter editions of the Olympic Games, and played a role in the awarding of several more. He also navigated the Olympic movement through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, but was criticized at times for his handling of the Russian doping scandals over the past decade and the IOC not taking a stronger stance on various geopolitical issues in the world.
Coventry put a particular emphasis on the environment and sustainability across the Olympic movement during her campaigning, as well as athlete well-being. She will also need to navigate challenges like those that Bach faced, including working with American president Donald Trump and ongoing wars in several places around the world.
Her first Olympics as IOC President will be the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics next year, followed two years later by her first Summer Games in Los Angeles.
“Congratulations to Kirsty Coventry on her election as the 10th IOC President,” Bach said in a 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.”
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