The 34-year-old Zimbabwean was elected by secret ballot from seven candidates for an eight-year term at the 144th International Olympic Committee meeting in Costa Navarino, Greece, on Thursday (20 March). The IOC President-elect, who will take office after the handover on 23 June, was elected for an eight-year term. She will be the first woman and the first African to serve as IOC President.
Coventry will replace the outgoing president Thomas Bachwho was first elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2021. She received 49 votes in the first round, which is exactly the number needed for a majority of the 97 votes cast.
President Bach, who will remain in office until 23 June, will also step down as an IOC member after the transfer of power and then assume the role of honorary president.
"This is an extraordinary moment. As a nine-year-old girl, I never thought I would be standing here one day to give back to this incredible movement of ours," Coventry told the meeting in her thank-you speech. "This is not only a tremendous honor, but also a reminder of my commitment to each of you to lead this organization with great pride and with the values that are its foundation. And I will be very, very proud of all of you and I hope extremely confident in the decision you have made today. Now we have work to do together. This race has been incredible and has made us better, has made us a stronger Movement."
The President-elect will oversee the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics as her first Olympic Games, with less than 11 months to go until the Opening Ceremony.
Commenting on the election of his successor, President Bach said: "Congratulations to Kirsty Coventry on her election as the tenth President of the IOC. I warmly welcome the IOC Members' decision and look forward to working closely with them, especially during the transition period. There is no doubt that the future of our Olympic Movement is bright and that the values we stand for will continue to guide us in the years to come."
Coventry is currently an IOC member and Minister of Sport, Arts and Recreation in Zimbabwe. She has been the country's Minister of Sport since 2018. In addition, she served as Vice President of the International Surfing Federation from 2017-2024.
The former swimmer was first elected to the IOC as a member of the IOC Athletes' Commission in 2013 and served in that capacity until 2021, when she was elected as an individual member.
In 2018, she was elected Chair of the IOC Athletes' Commission and became a member of the IOC Executive Board. The 34-year-old athlete was also the IOC Athletes' Representative to the World Anti-Doping Agency from 2012-2021 and a member of the WADA Athletes' Committee from 2014-2021.
The Harare native has competed in five different Olympic Games. Between her debut in Sydney in 2000 and her most recent start in Rio 2016, she won seven Olympic medals (two gold, four silver and one bronze), taking gold in the 200m positional race in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. No other African athlete has won more Olympic medals.
During her career, she has also won three gold medals at the World Long Distance Championships and four short course titles, adding Commonwealth Games gold and 14 African Games gold medals.
President-elect Coventry's election manifesto for the IOC can be found at here.
IOC/ gnews.cz - RoZ
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