Zimbabwean Kristy Coventry elected first female IOC President

Zimbabwe’s Sports Minister, Kristy Coventry was on Thursday elected the
first female President in the IOC’s 130-year history

The 41-year-old former swimmer, who won two Olympic gold medals, secured a majority of 49 of the 97 available votes in the first round of Thursday’s election, while World Athletics boss Coe got just eight.

Kirsty Coventry hopes her election as the first female and African president of the International Olympic Committee beating six male candidates including Britain’s Lord Coe sends a “powerful signal”.

Her first Olympics will be the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in February 2026.

“It’s a really powerful signal. It’s a signal that we’re truly global and that we have evolved into an organisation that is truly open to diversity and we’re going to continue walking that road in the next eight years,” Coventry said.

Runner-up Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr got 28 votes while France’s David Lappartient and Japan’s Morinari Watanabe earned four votes each. Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan and Sweden’s Johan Eliasch both took two.

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 and will be in post for at least 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.

“The young girl who first started swimming in Zimbabwe all those years ago could never have dreamed of this moment,” said Coventry.

“I am particularly proud to be the first female IOC president, and also the first from Africa.

“I hope that this vote will be an inspiration to many people. Glass ceilings have been shattered today, and I am fully aware of my responsibilities as a role model.”

Coventry described her election as an “extraordinary moment” during her acceptance speech, and promised to make IOC members proud of their choice.

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.

While Coe was disappointed with finishing a distant third, he accepted defeat and refused to be drawn into interpreting the vote.

“We have an athlete at the helm of the organisation,” Coe said. “We talked about it together a few weeks ago and we both agreed it was really important, and I’m very pleased for her. This is a very good result for the athletes.

“I’ve congratulated her. She’s got a huge job, but she will have the confidence of the athletes, and that’s very important.

“I think what is pretty clear is that the athletes and the women members in particular supported her very strongly in the first round, and you know those things happen in elections.”

The Presidential vote took place at a luxury hotel in a seaside resort about 60 miles south of the Greek town of Olympia, the birthplace of the ancient Games.

IOC members had to hand in their phones before a secret electronic ballot at about 14:30 GMT.

The campaign process restricted candidates to 15-minute presentations at a private event in January, with media barred and no scope for questions from members afterwards.

Endorsements by members were not allowed, nor was any criticism of rival candidates, meaning behind-the- scenes lobbying played an important role.

British Olympic Association CEO Andy Anson congratulated Coventry, saying: “We know her well and look forward to working together to grow the Olympic movement’s global relevance and commercial success.”

Russia hopes Coventry’s victory will lead to its return from sporting exile. Russian athletes have not competed at the Olympics under their own flag since 2016, following the state-run doping scandal and then the war in Ukraine.

“We look forward to a stronger, more independent, and more prosperous Olympic movement under a new leader, and to Russia returning to the Olympic podium,” Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev, who is also head of the Russian Olympic Committee, wrote on his Telegram account.

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

Governmental interference in football resulted in Fifa banning Zimbabwe from the international game in 2022, while last year the United States imposed sanctions on Mnangagwa and other senior officials for corruption and human rights abuse

Coventry pledged to work with her fellow election candidates, saying: “What I want to focus on is bringing all the candidates together. There were so many good ideas and exchanges over the last six months.

“I’d really like to leverage off of that and then really bring everyone back together and have a reset.

“I have some ideas, but a part of my campaign was listening to the IOC members and hearing what they have to say and hearing how we want to move together.”

On the challenges posed by geopolitical issues, Coventry said: “The IOC and the Olympic movement have lasted so many generations because it brings people together and the diversity is a unifying way for us to connect with each other.

“So right now in today’s world, this is our biggest platform to showcase the good of humanity and to share our values as the Olympic movement.”

Coventry said that “communication will be key” with US President Donald Trump, with fears his immigration policies could affect athletes’ abilities to get visas before the 2028 LA Games.

“I have been dealing with, let’s say, difficult men in high positions since I was 20 years old,” she said.

As the first woman to hold sport’s most powerful role, Kirsty Coventry is a trailblazer. But as a member of its executive board, she is also an IOC insider.

Coventry was seen as the preferred candidate of outgoing president Thomas Bach and her convincing victory after a low-key campaign will be seen as a reflection of his influence.

IOC members were clearly untroubled by her close association with the controversial Zimbabwe government.

Coventry will assume her new role in June at a critical time for the Olympic movement.

She will have to deal with a tense geopolitical landscape, the potential reintegration of Russia, and US President Donald Trump before the 2028 LA Games.

She will also have to tackle issues such as gender eligibility, climate change, and ensuring the Games remain relevant going forward.