Who is Kirsty Coventry, next president of International Olympic Committee?
The International Olympic Committee’s next leader will be 41-year-old Kirsty Coventry, who won the IOC election on Thursday. Coventry was elected to one of the most powerful jobs in sports on Thursday after winning 49 votes out of the 97 possible votes. Coventry beat fellow presidential candidates like HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, David Lappartient, Johan Eliasch, Juan Antonio Samaranch, Lord Sebastian Coe and Morinari Watanabe.
Coventry thus becomes the first woman and first African to lead the Olympic movement.
Who is Kirsty Coventry?
Coventry is a former Zimbabwe swimmer, who was Africa’s most decorated Olympian and a miner in a government often accused of oppressing political opposition. She was the back-to-back Olympic champion in the 200 meters backstroke in 2004 and 2008. She retired from swimming after the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 with seven Olympic medals, more than anyone else from Africa.
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She is also currently Zimbabwe’s miner of youth, sports, arts and recreation, drawing some scrutiny of her affiliation with a government that has long faced accusations of cracking down on democratic freedoms and suppressing criticism in the southern African country.
Kirsty Coventry’s sporting achievements
5-time Olympian: Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016
7-time Olympic Medal: 2 Gold, 4 Silver, 1 Bronze
Multiple world record breaker
Kirsty Coventry’s IOC posts
IOC Member since 2013
Part of IOC Executive Board (2018-2021, 2023–present)
Chairperson: Athlete Commission (2018–2021)
Chairperson: Coordination Commission Brisbane Olympic Games 2032 (2021-present)
Chairperson: Coordination Commission Dakar Youth Olympic Games 2026 (2018-present)
Chairperson: Games Optimization Working Group (2022-present)
Finance Commission (2023-present)
Olympic Solidarity Commission (2014-present)
Public Affairs and Corporate Communications (2022-present)
Athletes Commission (2013-2021)
Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad Tokyo 2020 (2014–2021)
Olympic Channel Commission (2015–2018)
Evaluation Commission for Paris2024 and LA2028 (2016–2017)
Public Affairs and Social Development through Sport Commission (2016–2018)
Member of the Board of Directors of Olympic Channel Services, Switzerland (2018-2021)Story continues below this ad
Kirsty Coventry’s other sporting positions
ZIMBABWE NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: Vice President 2017-2018 and Member since 2013
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONs
Vice President of International Surfing Federation (2017-2024)
Athlete Commission: World Aquatics (2017-2021)
WADA: IOC Athlete Representative (2012–2021)
WADA: Athlete Committee (2014–2021)
International Testing Agency: (2018-2021)
(With inputs from AP)
