The International Olympic Committee will be headed by a woman for the first time: what is known about her
Kirsty Coventry (Photo: IOC)
Kirsty Coventry, a former swimmer from Zimbabwe and Olympic gold medalist, is set to make history as the first female president of the International Olympic Committee, as announced on the official IOC website.
During the 144th session held in Greece on Thursday, March 20, Coventry, aged 41, was elected as the IOC President for an eight-year term through a secret ballot involving seven candidates.
She will officially assume the presidency following the transition on June 23, 2025, succeeding Thomas Bach, who has held the position since 2013 and was re-elected in 2021.
Coventry will be the inaugural woman and the first African to occupy the role of IOC head.
Currently, Coventry is an IOC member and has been serving as Zimbabwe’s Minister of Sports, Arts, and Recreation since 2018. From 2017 to 2024, she also held the position of Vice-President of the International Surfing Federation, in addition to being a member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission.
Throughout her career, Coventry has participated in five Olympic Games, claiming a total of seven Olympic medals (two gold, four silver, and one bronze) from her debut in Sydney 2000 to her last appearance in Rio 2016. She achieved gold medals in the 200m backstroke at both the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Games.
- On December 8, 2023, the IOC Executive Board permitted Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, albeit under a neutral flag.
- In March 2024, Thomas Bach remarked that Russian athletes should not bear the brunt of their government’s actions.
