Former swimmer and 2004 and 2008 Olympic champion Kirsty Coventry has been elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Currently Zimbabwe's sports minister, Coventry received 49 votes, reaching the majority required for the position.
In the vote, held during the 144th IOC Session in Costa Navarino, Greece, Coventry beat his main rivals in the first round: Spain's Juan Antonio Samaranch, who received 28 votes, and Great Britain's Sebastian Coe, who received only eight votes. He also beat six other male candidates.
At 41, Coventry is making history by becoming the first woman and the first African to preside over the world's governing body. Her term will begin on 24 June 2025, when she succeeds the current president, Germany's Thomas Bach, who has been her mentor at the IOC.
Source: El País (Spain) 20/03/2025
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