Kirsty Coventry elected new IOC president, becomes first woman and African in the role

CNN
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Kirsty Coventry has been elected as the 10th President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), becoming the first woman and African to ever be elected to the position.

Coventry, 41, will also be the youngest ever to assume the role and came through a field of seven contenders in the seaside resort of Costa Navarino in Greece to land the most powerful job in world sport.

Coventry will officially take up the role on June 24, after incumbent Thomas Bach steps down following a 12-year spell in charge.

Coventry will arrive at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty around the globe, question marks over the direction of the Olympic movement in the 21st century, and more scrutiny than ever on issues concerning gender identity and equality, among others.

“This is an extraordinary moment. As an nine-year girl, I never thought I would be standing up here one day getting to give back to this incredible movement of ours,” Coventry said after her election.

Before becoming a member of the IOC, she was a standout athlete for Zimbabwe. Coventry has won seven of the country’s eight Olympic medals to date.

At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, she won three medals, including gold in the 200m backstroke before successfully defending her title four years later.

The first round of voting on Thursday in Greece didn’t proceed without issues though, with numerous voters complaining about problems with their technological voting systems. At one point, IOC director general Christophe De Kepper – who was hosting the voting – humorously said that a member was “testing his patience” with his complaints.

To the surprise of many, the voting was quickly closed after the first round with a winner already reaching the absolute majority (50% + one vote) mark needed.

And after a 30-minute break, Coventry was announced as Bach’s replacement and the 10th president of the IOC; of the 97 votes, Coventry received 49, while second-placed Juan Antonio Samaranch got 28.

“This is not just a huge honor, but it’s also a reminder of my commitment to every single one of you that I will lead this organization with so much pride with the values at the core and I will make all of you very, very proud and extremely confident in the decision that you’ve taken today,” Coventry said.