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Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe has been elected as the first female president of the International Olympic Committee, emerging from a contentious seven-candidate race Thursday to take hold of one of the most powerful roles in global sports.
In a stunning twist, Coventry secured a majority of the votes on the very first ballot of the election, upending what was expected to be a lengthy, multi-round voting process during the IOC session at a luxury resort in Pyros, Greece. In addition to becoming the first female IOC president, the 41-year-old is also the first person from Africa to hold the role. There have been only nine other IOC presidents since the organization's founding in 1894.
Coventry will assume the office June 24 and serve an initial eight-year term, with the possibility of serving an additional four years upon re-election. Former German fencer and longtime IOC executive Thomas Bach has had the job since 2013.
"This is an extraordinary moment," Coventry said. "As a 9-year-old girl, I never thought that I would be standing up here one day, getting to give back to this incredible movement of ours."
Coventry, a former Olympic swimmer, was long thought to be Bach's preferred candidate. She joined the IOC as a member of the athletes' commission in 2013 and became an individual member in 2021.
She was one of seven candidates for the job and had been considered to be one of the favorites, alongside Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. of Spain and Sebastian Coe of Great Britain. Samaranch is a longtime IOC executive whose father, Juan Antonio Sr., also served as IOC president. Coe, a former middle-distance runner who oversaw London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympics, is the president of the international federation that oversees track and field.
Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, International Ski and Snowboard Federation head Johan Eliasch, international cycling leader David Lappartient and International Gymnastics Federation president Morinari Watanabe rounded out the pool of candidates.
With Thursday's win, Coventry ascends to one of the most powerful roles in international sports. The IOC is the wealthiest multi-sport organization in the world, with revenues of more than $7.7 billion in the most recent Olympic cycle, from 2021 to 2024.
The organization is charged with not just planning and operating the Summer and Winter Olympics but also shaping and guiding the Olympic movement around the world. And, as a result, the IOC president regularly schmoozes with heads of state and at times serves as the de facto leader of the global sports community as a whole.
Bach, for example, spearheaded the international sporting community's response to the state-backed Russian doping scandal early in his tenure. He also led the IOC through the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Games to 2021 and required the 2022 Winter Olympics to be held behind closed doors.
Coventry will now face a new set of challenges, including Russia's possible return to the Olympics following its invasion of Ukraine and simmering tensions in the anti-doping community between the United States and the World Anti-Doping Agency. The U.S. is slated to host two of the next five editions of the Olympics: The 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles and the 2034 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
In other significant news from Thursday's session, the IOC formally approved the inclusion of boxing in the Olympic program for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Boxing's place at the Games had been in doubt after the IOC's fight with the International Boxing Association, the international federation that previously ran the sport. The IOC cut ties with the IBA in 2023 due to governance concerns and the organization's growing coziness with Russia.
The emergence of a new federation, World Boxing, over the past 18 months paved the way for the IOC to welcome the sport back into the Olympic fold.
"This is a great day for boxers, boxing and everyone connected with our sport at every level across the world," World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst said following the decision.
"This outcome has been achieved by a massive team effort ... and would not have been possible without the hard work and commitment of all of the national federations, boxers, coaches, officials and boxing leaders that have worked together to enable this to happen."
IOC members also received an update from organizers of next year's Milan-Cortina Winter Games − including news about the Cortina sliding center that is supposed to host bobsled, skeleton and luge events.
Milan-Cortina chief executive officer Andrea Varnier told IOC members that efforts to build and prepare the track are on schedule, and athletes are slated to test it next week. Bach called it "a clear and encouraging report."
"After these reports today I must tell you we are not nervous anymore," Bach said. "The trust in your capabilities remains and has even been reinforced today. We can look forward to brilliant fantastic Winter Games."
Organizers have been scrambling to build and prep the track ahead of next year's Olympics, and there was so much uncertainty over the timeline that they felt compelled to arrange a Plan B. If the track isn't ready, the sliding events will instead take place in Lake Placid, New York.
Contributing: Reuters
Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on social media @tomschad.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kirsty Coventry elected IOC's first female president
Continue reading...
In a stunning twist, Coventry secured a majority of the votes on the very first ballot of the election, upending what was expected to be a lengthy, multi-round voting process during the IOC session at a luxury resort in Pyros, Greece. In addition to becoming the first female IOC president, the 41-year-old is also the first person from Africa to hold the role. There have been only nine other IOC presidents since the organization's founding in 1894.
Coventry will assume the office June 24 and serve an initial eight-year term, with the possibility of serving an additional four years upon re-election. Former German fencer and longtime IOC executive Thomas Bach has had the job since 2013.
"This is an extraordinary moment," Coventry said. "As a 9-year-old girl, I never thought that I would be standing up here one day, getting to give back to this incredible movement of ours."
Coventry, a former Olympic swimmer, was long thought to be Bach's preferred candidate. She joined the IOC as a member of the athletes' commission in 2013 and became an individual member in 2021.
She was one of seven candidates for the job and had been considered to be one of the favorites, alongside Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. of Spain and Sebastian Coe of Great Britain. Samaranch is a longtime IOC executive whose father, Juan Antonio Sr., also served as IOC president. Coe, a former middle-distance runner who oversaw London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympics, is the president of the international federation that oversees track and field.
Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, International Ski and Snowboard Federation head Johan Eliasch, international cycling leader David Lappartient and International Gymnastics Federation president Morinari Watanabe rounded out the pool of candidates.
With Thursday's win, Coventry ascends to one of the most powerful roles in international sports. The IOC is the wealthiest multi-sport organization in the world, with revenues of more than $7.7 billion in the most recent Olympic cycle, from 2021 to 2024.
The organization is charged with not just planning and operating the Summer and Winter Olympics but also shaping and guiding the Olympic movement around the world. And, as a result, the IOC president regularly schmoozes with heads of state and at times serves as the de facto leader of the global sports community as a whole.
Bach, for example, spearheaded the international sporting community's response to the state-backed Russian doping scandal early in his tenure. He also led the IOC through the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Games to 2021 and required the 2022 Winter Olympics to be held behind closed doors.
Coventry will now face a new set of challenges, including Russia's possible return to the Olympics following its invasion of Ukraine and simmering tensions in the anti-doping community between the United States and the World Anti-Doping Agency. The U.S. is slated to host two of the next five editions of the Olympics: The 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles and the 2034 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
Boxing approved for 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
In other significant news from Thursday's session, the IOC formally approved the inclusion of boxing in the Olympic program for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Boxing's place at the Games had been in doubt after the IOC's fight with the International Boxing Association, the international federation that previously ran the sport. The IOC cut ties with the IBA in 2023 due to governance concerns and the organization's growing coziness with Russia.
The emergence of a new federation, World Boxing, over the past 18 months paved the way for the IOC to welcome the sport back into the Olympic fold.
"This is a great day for boxers, boxing and everyone connected with our sport at every level across the world," World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst said following the decision.
"This outcome has been achieved by a massive team effort ... and would not have been possible without the hard work and commitment of all of the national federations, boxers, coaches, officials and boxing leaders that have worked together to enable this to happen."
Milan Cortina sliding track on schedule
IOC members also received an update from organizers of next year's Milan-Cortina Winter Games − including news about the Cortina sliding center that is supposed to host bobsled, skeleton and luge events.
Milan-Cortina chief executive officer Andrea Varnier told IOC members that efforts to build and prepare the track are on schedule, and athletes are slated to test it next week. Bach called it "a clear and encouraging report."
"After these reports today I must tell you we are not nervous anymore," Bach said. "The trust in your capabilities remains and has even been reinforced today. We can look forward to brilliant fantastic Winter Games."
Organizers have been scrambling to build and prep the track ahead of next year's Olympics, and there was so much uncertainty over the timeline that they felt compelled to arrange a Plan B. If the track isn't ready, the sliding events will instead take place in Lake Placid, New York.
Contributing: Reuters
Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on social media @tomschad.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kirsty Coventry elected IOC's first female president
Continue reading...
