Kirsty Coventry, a former Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe and friend to both Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife, Princess Charlene, has been elected as the new President of the International Olympic Committee. She is set to take over from outgoing leader Thomas Bach in June.
On 20th March, Kirsty Coventry became the first woman and the first person from Africa to become President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – a role often described as the most powerful job in the world of sport.
She beat out stiff competition, including the UK’s Lord Sebastian Coe, also a former Olympian, and France’s David Lappartient, the current President of the Union Cycliste Internationale, to earn the majority of the votes.
“This is an extraordinary moment,” said Coventry in her victory speech. “As a nine-year-old girl, I never thought I’d be standing up here one day, getting to give back to this incredible movement of ours.”
She continued, “This is not just a huge honour but it is a reminder of my commitment to every single one of you that I will lead this organisation with so much pride, with the values at the core… Sport has an unmatched power to unite, inspire and create opportunities for all, and I am committed to making sure we harness that power to its fullest. The future of the Olympic movement is bright, and I can’t wait to get started.”
A storied career
Coventry is the current Minister of Sport, Art and Recreation in Zimbabwe. She was first elected as an IOC Member as a member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission in 2013 and held the role until 2021, when she became an individual member. The 41-year-old retired swimmer was elected Chair of the IOC Athletes Commission in 2018, becoming a member of the IOC Executive Board in the process.
Over the course of her swimming career, the Harare native represented Zimbabwe at five Olympic Games, beginning with the Sydney Games in 2000 and concluding with Rio in 2016. She has won seven Olympic medals – two gold, four silver, one bronze – making her the nation’s most decorated athlete.
She has also won three long-course World Championship gold medals and four short-course titles, as well as a Commonwealth Games gold and 14 African Games golds.
Coventry’s connection to Monaco
Prince Albert, a former Olympian himself, has been an IOC Member since 1985 and has held numerous positions within the organisation, including being Chair of the Sport and Environment Committee between 2014 and 2015, as well as the Chair of the Sustainability and Legacy Committee since 2015, a role he continues to hold.
The Prince was among the audience at the 144th session of the IOC, during which Coventry’s new post at the head of the organisation was confirmed.
In a statement released by the Palais Princier de Monaco following the event, Prince Albert reaffirmed his “dedication to Olympic ideals” and extended his “heartfelt congratulations to Kirsty Coventry on this new chapter in Olympic history”.
Coventry is also a long-time friend of Princess Charlene of Monaco. Both completed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and Coventry was invited to travel to the Principality to train back in 2011 at the behest of the Princess.
Coventry will take over from the outgoing president, Thomas Bach, on 23rd June.
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Photo credit: IOC / Greg Martin