Kirsty Coventry was elected new president International Olympic Committee Thursday.
Coventry, 41, becomes the first woman and the first African named President IoC.
“It’s a signal that we’re truly global,” Coventry said of her choice.
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Kirsty Coventry responds after being announced as a new president of MOO at the 144th session of the Olympic Committee in Costa Navarin, Greece, on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Coventry, a double gold medal of Olympic swimming, won in the first round of voting among seven candidates who voted 97 IOC members. Coventry receives an eight -year term, which lasts until 2033.
Voters in the exclusive invited club of IOC members include members of the royal family, former lawmakers and diplomats, business leaders, sports officers and Olympic athletes.
The candidate was not expected to be elected in the first round. Several rounds are scheduled. Coventry received the exact majority of 49 votes needed.
Kirsty Coventry is allowed during a press conference after being elected new President MOO at the 144th session of the Olympic Committee in Costa Navarin, Greece, on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The rest of the run were four presidents of sports management bodies: Track and Field’s Sebastian Coe, Ski Johan Eliasch, Cycling David Lappartient and Gymnastics’ Morinari Watanabe. He was also contrary to Jordan Prince Feisal Al Hussein.
“I will do you all very, very proud and hopefully extremely confident in the decision you made,” Coventry said in her accepting speech. “We now have some work together.”
Coventry was a sports minister in Zimbabwe, and leaving President Moo -a Thomas Bach advocated being a successor to him.
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President Moo -a Thomas Bach holds the name of Kirsty Coventry, because she was announced as the President of the New MOO at the 144th session of the Olympic Committee in Costa Navarin, Greece, on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Coventry will officially replace his mentor Bach on the handover of June 23, who is Olympic Day, as the tenth MOO President in his 131-year history. Bach has reached a maximum of 12 years in power.
Coventry won the headlines back in 2004 in 2004 in 2004 Olympic Games in Athens IU Beijing four years later. She joined IOC in 2013, almost a year after the controversial elections of athletes at the London Olympics.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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