Kirsty Coventry Elected First Female and African President of the IOC
Kirsty Coventry has been elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), becoming the first woman and first African to hold the position. The Zimbabwean sports minister and two-time Olympic swimming gold medalist secured a decisive first-round victory in a seven-candidate election, receiving the exact 49 votes needed for an outright win from the 97 IOC members voting.
Coventry, 41, will serve an eight-year term, extending until 2033. Her election marks one of the most competitive IOC presidential races in decades, with no clear frontrunner before the vote. Many expected the process to require multiple rounds, but Coventry emerged victorious on the first ballot.
Her victory is seen as a win for outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach, who has been viewed as her supporter. Bach, who has led the IOC since 2013, did not cast a vote in the election. Coventry will formally take over as the 10th president in the IOC’s 131-year history on June 23, replacing Bach as he reaches the 12-year term limit.
In her acceptance speech, Coventry pledged to lead with dedication. “I will make all of you very, very proud and hopefully extremely confident in the decision you have taken,” she said.
Among her challengers, Juan Antonio Samaranch, the son of a former IOC president, finished second with 28 votes, while Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics, received eight. Other candidates included Johan Eliasch (skiing), David Lappartient (cycling), Morinari Watanabe (gymnastics), and Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan.
As IOC president, Coventry will face major challenges, including guiding the Olympic movement through political and sporting complexities leading up to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Additionally, she will oversee the selection of a host for the 2036 Summer Games, with India and the Middle East emerging as potential candidates.
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