Africa: Sports Minister of Zimbabwe – Kirsty Coventry has been elected as the new president of the International Olympic Committee. She is a swimmer and at the age of 41 she has won two Olympic Gold Medals and is the first youngest African to hold this position.
Noting this, Coventry stated that it is the time that organisation should be led by a woman and wants members to have confidence in them as she is confident that she is the right person.
The former swimmer has become the youngest and the first from outside Europe or North America to lead the organisation in its 130-years of history, if she defeats six male rivals in a voting to be held later this month.
Zimbabwean Sports Minister added further that she don’t think it is just about gender the same way that she don’t think it is just about being the only African candidate. She asks, is it really about, what the movement needs today?
Coventry said that she thinks about being a double Olympic Champion and have the experiences that they had within the movement and outside, they all are bringing a lot of value to ensure that she could lead this organisation.
She said that she won the 200m backstroke at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and is Africa’s most-decorated Olympian, who is very positive in nature. She has her chances of becoming most powerful figure of Sport’s IOC members and made their choice in Greece on March 20, 2025.
When asked how she left about being seen as the preferred choice of outgoing president Thomas Bach after his 12-year tenure. Coventry said that he has allowed the candidate to do what they need to do and talk to the members and it’s their decision. He has been fair to all of the candidates.
Coventry wants to try the challenge as the status quo and to bring the change. She is being able to showcase the biggest and most wonderful sports event in the world, where they all have athletes from all different backgrounds coming together. For them it is what the world needs right now.
They have to make very good decisions so that this movement can stay relevant for upcoming generations. And for her, being a mum of two young girls, felt the weight on her shoulders that is maybe a little bit more than that of the other candidates as she is going to have a constant reminder that they need not to mess this up.
Currently, IOC allows the International Federation to set its own gender eligibility rules. In recent years, several have barred athletes who have undergone male puberty from competing in elite female competition, amid concerns that may come at the expense of fairness and safety.
Earlier, Coventry remained IOC executive board member since 2023, but confirmed that as rival presidential candidate Lord Coe, she is now backing a blanket ban of transgender women from competing in female Olympic sport.