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Olympics’ champion: New IOC president Kirsty Coventry inaugurated to start 8-year leadership
LAUSANNE DISTRICT, VAUD, JUN 19 – Kirsty Coventry, a seven-time Olympic medalist from Zimbabwe, aims to promote inclusivity and integrity as the first woman and African to lead the IOC, elected with 49 of 97 votes.
- Kirsty Coventry became the International Olympic Committee's first female and African president during a handover ceremony in Lausanne on Monday, June 23, 2025.
- She was elected in March 2025 after defeating Sebastian Coe, inheriting an IOC generating $7.7 billion in revenue for 2021-24 amid challenges including Russia's reintegration and climate change impacts.
- On her first full day, Coventry invited all 109 IOC members to closed-door 'Pause and Reflect' meetings, emphasizing a collaborative leadership style differing from Bach’s centralized approach.
- Coventry acknowledged her responsibility as president to make critical decisions and emphasized the importance of progress, announcing a two-day IOC workshop beginning June 24 to engage stakeholders on key topics.
- Her presidency marks a pivotal milestone advancing gender parity and inclusion, with the 2024 Paris Olympics set to be the first Summer Games led by a female IOC president featuring a majority female athlete quota.
148 Articles
148 Articles
Kirsty Coventry: the former Olympian and first woman to lead the IOC
Kirsty Coventry broke several barriers when she became the president of the International Olympic Committee on Monday, as she is both the first woman and first African person to hold the position. Coventry's election to run the IOC shouldn't come as much of a surprise given her long history in Olympic athletics as a former competitive swimmer. But she will also be taking over an IOC with several looming questions, which could make her tenure as …
The biggest challenge for her will be the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
"He was worse than Fantomas!": instead of Bach, the IOC was headed by Kirsty Coventry: EADaily
EADaily, June 24th, 2025. On June 23, 2025, Kirsty Coventry assumed the post of president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), replacing the German Thomas Bach, who had led the organization since 2013.
Zimbabwe: Kirsty Coventry Becomes IOC's First Female President
Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry was elected as the first woman and the first person from Africa to the post of International Olympic Committee president in March. She has now taken over from Thomas Bach of Germany.
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