Kirsty Coventry becomes first woman to lead IOC

Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry became the first woman and African to be elected president of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday, saying it was an “extraordinary moment”.

At 41, the two-time Olympic swimming champion is also the youngest ever person to hold the most powerful position in sports governance.

Coventry, the Zimbabwean sports minister, is a close ally of the German Thomas Bach, who steps down as IOC supremo after 12 years.

She told her fellow IOC members she would work with the six other heavyweight rivals she beat in the election.

“This is an extraordinary moment. As a nine-year-old girl I never thought that I would be standing 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, who was strongly believed to be Bach’s favoured candidate, was thought to be in a tight-run race with IOC veteran Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior and World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe.

However, to general surprise the race was decided in the first round of voting.

Coventry received 49 of the 97 votes possible, with Samaranch obtaining 28 and Coe third with a humbling eight votes.

Samaranch was bidding to emulate his father of the same name who led the Olympic movement for 21 years and World Athletics president Coe was seeking to become the first Briton.

For both, their dreams of being IOC president one day are over, owing to their ages.

Ski federation chief Johan Eliasch, Morinari Watanabe, president of the international gymnastics federation, cycling head David Lappartient and Prince Feisal al-Hussein were the other four candidates.

None of that quartet garnered more than four votes.

On Monday, Bach refused to be drawn on whether he backed Coventry, saying only that a new era “requires new leaders”.

Although she fought a low-key media campaign compared to Coe and Samaranch Junior, her lobbying was so effective that one seriously ill member specifically flew to Greece to vote for her.

Questions had been raised about Coventry being a minister in a Zimbabwean government whose election in 2023 was declared undemocratic and unfair.

However, it made little impact with her electorate.

Coventry faces enormous geopolitical challenges, such as dealing with unpredictable US president Donald Trump, with Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Summer Games.

Coventry said during her campaign that if she won it would be a huge moment for Africa as it would show “we’re ready to lead”.

She will take over a financially secure IOC but those calm waters are muddied by a febrile geopolitical situation.

Samaranch Junior had argued that in this “very complex world”, where previously undisputed truths such as “universality, fraternity and unity” are now questioned, it was no time to take a leap in the dark.

The 65-year-old Spaniard, an assured and polished performer, congratulated Coventry and said he “was not going anywhere.”

“It is very good news, the IOC is moving into the future, she has so much support from the membership, we will all walk behind her,” he said.

Coe appeared to be seen by Bach as the disruptor candidate, which is perhaps surprising given many would view him as an establishment figure.

His low score will be a bitter blow to the two-time 1,500 metres Olympic champion who is accustomed to success.

Coe, 68, became a lawmaker for the centre-right Conservatives and led London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Games.

He then oversaw the highly-praised hosting of those Olympics and has been credited with reforming track and field’s global body since becoming president in 2015.

One of the major problems the new president will face will be the return to the Olympic fold of Russia. In Paris last year their athletes were forced to competed under a neutral banner, owing to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.