ISTANBUL
Kirsty Coventry from Zimbabwe was elected Thursday as the 10th president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), becoming the first woman and first African to hold the position.
Coventry, Zimbabwe’s sports minister and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, won in the first round of voting at the 144th IOC Session in Greece.
“The young girl who first started swimming in Zimbabwe all those years ago could never have dreamt of this moment,” Coventry said at the election announcement ceremony.
“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 added.
Coventry, 41, will succeed Thomas Bach for a term of eight years. Bach’s 12-year tenure will end June 23.
Coventry won gold in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics – taking home a combined seven medals in those games.
In 2016, she retired from competing after her fifth Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
