Kirsty Coventry: First woman leads IOC
Historic moment for global sports! Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwe's Minister of Sport, is the first woman elected President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
She succeeded Thomas Bach in this role.
"When I was 9 years old and started playing sports, I never imagined I would be standing here, as a leader of the Olympic movement. This is not only a tremendous honor, but also a reminder that I must dedicate myself daily to each of you and lead this organization with pride, while upholding its values," said Kirsty Coventry, the new IOC President.
Kirsty Coventry is a former successful swimmer who, in her career, won 7 Olympic medals for Zimbabwe, including 2 gold. Since 2018, she has been the Minister of Sport in her country.
At the International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidential election, held in Costa Navarino, Greece, she won in the first round against six other candidates, including Britain's Sebastian Coe and Spain's Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr.
Coventry will assume her new duties on June 24. She replaced Thomas Bach, who led the Committee for 12 years.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
