Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry Becomes IOC’s 1st Woman, 1st African and Youngest President

Global sporting history was made in Greece on Thursday when a woman was elected as president of the International Olympic Committee for the first time.

Zimbabwe’s sports minister Kirsty Coventry defeated a field including World Athletics President Lord Sebastian Coe to become the most powerful administrator in all of world sports.

The 41-year-old former swimmer, who won two Olympic gold medals, replaces German Thomas Bach – who had held the role since 2013.

Coventry also becomes the first African and the youngest person to hold the role.

World Athletics boss Lord Coe was among the favourites to win Thursday’s election in Greece, but Coventry secured an absolute majority of 49 of the 97 votes available in the first round of voting.

Runner-up Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr won 28 votes while Coe secured eight.

Coventry, who already sits on the IOC executive board and was said to be Bach’s preferred candidate, is the 10th person to hold the highest office in sport. She’ll be in the post for the next eight years.

Coventry has won seven of Zimbabwe’s eight Olympic medals – including gold in the 200m backstroke at both the 2004 and 2008 Games.

Kirsty Coventry.

During her election campaign Coventry pledged to modernise, promote sustainability, embrace technology and empower athletes.

She placed particular emphasis on protecting female sport, backing a blanket ban of transgender women from competing in female Olympic sport.

Coventry has faced criticism in Zimbabwe in her capacity as sports minister since 2018, but defended her association with the government of controversial president Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Meanwhile, boxing will remain an Olympic sport after the International Olympic Committee unanimously voted for it to be included in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

The sport was not part of the programme for the next Olympics when the schedule was first announced in 2022.

But the IOC granted provisional recognition for World Boxing as the sport’s global body last month before voting for its inclusion at the ongoing session in Greece.