Coventry will replace Thomas Bach and become the first African to win the race and become the chief of the International Olympic Committee.
Kirsty Coventry destroyed the glass ceiling of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and became the organization’s first woman and first president of Africa in its 130-year history.
Already a towering figure in the Olympic circle, Zimbabwe’s swim has entered a new era of the game, winning on Thursday for Thomas Bach, securing a top job in World Sports.
“It’s a really strong signal,” she smiled as victory sank.
Coventry only needed a one-round vote to win the race to take over Bach.
She defeated second-placed Juan Antonio Samaranch JR, with the Spaniards winning 28 votes. British Sebastian Coe was considered one of the frontlines in the days leading up to the vote, finishing third with eight votes.
The remaining votes were sent to French David Rappatient, Jordanian prince Faisal al Hussein, Swedish-born Johann Eliasch, and Japan’s Watanabe Forest.
“This is not just an honor, but being so proud and leading this organization is a reminder of my commitment to each and every one of you,” Beaming Coventry told her fellow IOC members who held IOC sessions at a luxury seaside resort in Peloponnaise in southwestern Greece.
“I am very, very proud of you, and very confident in the choices you made today. I am truly grateful for my deepest gratitude,” she added.
Coventry said he wanted to bring all the candidates together.
“I’m going to sit with President Bach. We’re going to spend a few months on the handover acquisition. And what I want to focus on is bringing together all the candidates. Over the past six months, there have been so many good ideas and exchanges.
“Looking at the IOC and our Olympic movement and our family, we decide how we will move forward in the future. What do you want to focus on in the first six months? I have a few ideas, but part of my campaign was listening to the IOC members, listening to what they say, and how we want to move together.”
Coventry is the second female candidate to support the IOC presidency and the first female candidate to have a realistic chance to win it, said Andrew Richardson of Al Jazeera, who reports from Greece.
“Thomas Bach put her in a series of positions within the IOC and tried to give her the best possible platform to display her diplomatic and management skills, and she made progress through the ranks very quickly,” Richardson said.
“This is an organization that doesn’t just have the first female president. Until 1981, there were no female members of the IOC, so this is the breakthrough time for the International Olympic Committee.”
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