IOC Elects Kirsty Coventry as First-Ever Female President

IOC Elects Kirsty Coventry as First-Ever Female President

“I am particularly proud to be the first female IOC President, and also the first from Africa,” said Coventry after her election in Greece.

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe was elected on Thursday as the 10th President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the first female President in IOC history, following 1 round of voting at the 144th IOC Session in Costa Navarino, Greece.

Coventry is Zimbabwe’s sports minister, as well as Africa’s most decorated Olympian. She won gold in the 200m backstroke at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics – taking home seven medals across those games.

She was chosen over fellow presidential candidates HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, David Lappartient, Johan Eliasch, Juan Antonio Samaranch, Lord Sebastian Coe and Morinari Watanabe.

“I am particularly proud to be the first female IOC President, and also the first from Africa. I hope that this vote will be an inspiration to many people. Glass ceilings have been shattered today, and I am fully aware of my responsibilities as a role model,” she said.

Coventry’s first games in charge will be the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina in 2026, followed by the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

Kirsty Coventry will succeed the ninth IOC President, Thomas Bach, whose 12-year tenure will officially end after Monday 23 June 2025. The President is elected by the IOC Members by secret ballot for a term of eight years.

The opening ceremony of the IOC session took place at the International Olympic Academy, adjacent to the ancient ruins where the Games began nearly 3,000 years ago. Following the opening ceremony, the main proceedings took place at Costa Navarino, a coastal resort in southwestern Greece.