Coventry Wins Historic Olympic Race
By Ed Hula
The International Olympic Committee has its first female president since its founding in 1894. Zimbabwe Olympic gold medalist Kirsty Coventry triumphed over a field of six other candidates, all men, in the first round of voting at the IOC’s session in Greece. While she was a favorite at least two or three rounds of voting were expected for one candidate to win a majority of the votes, 48 in this case.
Coventry is the first IOC president from Africa and the youngest in the post in the 130 years of IOC history. She will be the 10th IOC president, succeeding Thomas Bach who steps down in June after 12 years in office.
In her campaign message to IOC members Coventry pledged to bring her background as a recent Olympian to focus on the needs of athletes who make up the heart of the Olympic Games.
Pressed by reporters after the vote as to her immediate plans Coventry says she wants to bring together the other candidates to solicit their ideas and those of other IOC members before charting a course of action.
Her first round victory was decisive. Winning 49 votes to 28 for her nearest rival, Juan Antonio Samaranch of Spain, son of the IOC president who served from 1980 to 2001. Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, garnered just eight votes. Cycling Federation president David Lappartient and gymnastics Federation president Morinari Watanabe both took four votes each. Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan and Sweden’s Johan Eliasch received two votes.
Coventry was seen as a protégé of Bach who came to office the same year Coventry took a seat as an IOC member in 2013.
Coventry now begins a three month transition working alongside Bach. Changes will likely come for some staff at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne as Coventry prepares for the next eight years of her term.
She also will be making adjustments to her life. . She says she will be moving to Lausanne from her home in Zimbabwe. But she did not indicate whether she would live in the apartment on the top floor of the Lausanne Palace Hotel which has been the home for the past three IOC presidents. For the first time this IOC president comes to office with a young family that includes a five-month-old daughter and another seven years old. Coventry says she has strong support from family members that will enable her to spend the time needed as IOC president.
Despite the remote location of the IOC Session in southwestern Greece, 300km from Athens, about 100 media from around the globe made the trek. Available for public consumption on YouTube, more than 3,000 devices were on line for the announcement according to the streaming service.
Asked about how she would deal with U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on issues that might arise, Coventry replied that Trump “it is a huge fan of sport “and she’s confident he will make sure LA 28 has what it needs. She also noted that “I have been dealing with difficult men in high positions since I was 20”.
Written by Ed Hula
Contributions from Mara Xenou and Brian Pinelli in Costa Navarino, Greece
Editing by Sheila Hula