Kirsty Coventry Becomes First African and First Woman to Lead IOC

Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry has been elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), making history as the first woman and the first African to hold the position.

Coventry secured an overall majority in the first round of voting, surpassing six other candidates in a surprise victory.

The 41-year-old will succeed Germany’s Thomas Bach, who is stepping down on June 23 after serving as IOC president for 12 years. Coventry, reportedly Bach’s preferred candidate, will officially assume office the following day as the 10th president in the organization’s 131-year history.

A two-time Olympic swimming champion and Zimbabwe’s sports minister, Coventry has been an IOC member since 2013.

“This is an extraordinary moment,” she said in her first remarks after the election. Calling it “a huge honour,” she added, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and now we have some work to do.”