Kirsty Coventry was elected the new president of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday.
Coventry, 41, became the first woman in the IOC and the first woman to be appointed as an African.
“It signal that we are truly global,” Coventry said of her election.
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Kirsty Coventry will respond after being announced as the new IOC president at the 144th session of the International Olympic Committee held in Costa Navarino, Greece on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis stavrakis)
Coventry, a two-time Olympic swimming gold medalist, won the first round of votes among seven candidates voted by 97 IOC members. Coventry is on an eight-year mission, running until 2033.
Voters for the IOC members' exclusive invitation club include royal families, former lawmakers and diplomats, business leaders, sports officials and Olympic athletes.
It was not expected that the candidate would be selected in the first round. Several rounds were predicted. Coventry received the exact majority of the 49 votes required.
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Kirsty Coventry laughs at a press conference after being elected the new IOC president at the 144th session of the International Olympic Committee held in Costa Navarino, Greece on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis stavrakis)
Others in the running were four presidents of the four sports governing body: Athletics Sebastian Coe, Skiing Johann Eliasch, Cycling David Rappatient and Gymnastics Watanabe Watanabe. Prince Faisal al-Hussein of Jordan also insisted.
“I am very proud of you everything and very proud of you that I am very confident in the decision you have made,” Coventry said in her acceptance speech. “We're doing some work now.”
Coventry was Zimbabwe's Sports Minister and IOC President Thomas Bach had insisted that she was his successor.
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IOC President Thomas Bach will retain the name of Kirsty Coventry as he was announced as the new IOC President at the 144th session of the International Olympic Committee held in Costa Navarino, Greece on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis stavrakis)
Coventry will formally replace leader Bach on June 23rd as the 10th IOC president in its 131-year history. Bach has reached a maximum of 12 years.
Coventry won consecutive titles in the 200m backstroke at the 2004 Athens Olympics and four years later at Beijing. She joined the IOC in 2013, almost a year after the contested athlete election at the London Olympics.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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