History was made at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry was elected president, becoming both the first woman and the first African to hold the prestigious position.
Two decades after securing her first Olympic gold in Greece, Coventry celebrated another milestone in the Mediterranean country, winning the IOC presidency on 20 March.
The 41-year-old Zimbabwean, a former swimmer who claimed gold in the women’s 200m backstroke at Athens 2004 and retained her title at Beijing 2008, will now serve an eight-year term, with the possibility of a four-year extension. Coventry, who also boasts four Olympic silver medals and a bronze, takes over from 71-year-old German Thomas Bach, who steps down after a 12-year tenure and has been named honorary president.
“This is an extraordinary moment. As a nine-year-old girl, I never thought that I would stand up here one day, getting to give back to this incredible movement of ours,” Coventry said.
“This is not just a huge honour but it is a reminder to every single one of you that I will lead this organisation with so much pride, with the values at the core, and I will make all of you very, very proud and, I hope, extremely confident in the decision you’ve taken today. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Coventry was widely regarded as Bach’s favoured successor and was expected to face stiff competition from IOC veteran Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr of Spain and World Athletics president Sebastian Coe of Britain. However, in a surprising turn of events, the election was decided in just one round of voting at a luxury seaside resort in Greece’s southwestern Peloponnese.
She secured 49 votes—enough for a majority out of 97 possible votes—with zero abstentions. Samaranch Jr received 28 votes, while Coe secured eight. Frenchman David Lappartient and Japan’s Morinari Watanabe each received four votes, Jordan’s Prince Feisal Al-Hussein had two, and Swedish-born Johan Eliasch also received two.
Coventry now faces significant challenges as she leads the organisation into a new era, with the IOC placing its confidence in her leadership for the future.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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