Kirsty Coventry beats Lord Coe to IOC presidency

Kirsty Coventry has been elected as the first female and African president of the International Olympic Committee 9IOC), defeating six male candidates, including Britain’s Lord Coe.

Coventry secured a majority of 49 out of 97 votes in the first round of the IOC presidential election, surpassing World Athletics president Lord Coe, who received eight votes.

Coventry, Zimbabwe’s sports minister and a former Olympic swimmer, will assume office on 23^rd June, succeeding Thomas Bach, who has led the organisation since 2013.

At 41, Coventry will become the youngest president in the IOC’s 130-year history. Her first Games as president will be the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February 2026.

Coe, a two-time Olympic champion and a key figure in London 2012, had been considered a strong contender, but Coventry’s candidacy gained significant support. Runner-up Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr received 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 each received two votes.

Coventry, who has been an IOC executive board member and was widely regarded as Bach’s preferred successor, has committed to modernising the organisation, enhancing sustainability, integrating technology, and supporting athletes. She has also advocated for the protection of female sport, endorsing a ban on transgender women competing in female Olympic events.

She has won seven of Zimbabwe’s eight Olympic medals, including gold in the 200m backstroke at the 2004 and 2008 Games. Her election marks a significant shift in the IOC’s leadership and direction as the organisation prepares for upcoming challenges, including the 2028 Los Angeles Games and ongoing debates over athlete participation policies.

Lord Coe, commented, “We have an athlete at the helm of the organisation. 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.”