On Thursday, the members of the International Olympic Committee cast their votes to elect the former Olympic swimming champion as their new president. She stands as the inaugural African to helm the foremost global sports organisation.

In a historic first, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will be led by a woman at the helm. Kirsty Coventry from Zimbabwe was elected to lead the IOC on Thursday, March 20, in Costa Navarino, Greece, during the initial round of voting at the 144th session of the global sports governing body.

The ex-swimmer, a seven-time Olympic medallist in the sport (with two titles secured in 2004 and 2008), is set to succeed the 71-year-old German Thomas Bach, who has led the IOC since 2013, beginning June 23 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Despite the anticipation of a tightly contested election among the seven candidates, Kirsty Coventry emerged victorious in the first round, securing the support of a majority of the 97 voters. Her tenure will span eight years, marking the inaugural occasion a woman has taken the helm of the IOC in its 131-year existence. She stands as the inaugural African woman to helm the foremost sports organisation globally.

“This is an extraordinary moment,” she asserted from the podium, addressing the IOC members with conviction. “At the age of nine, I could hardly have envisioned standing before you today, ready to contribute to our remarkable movement all that it has bestowed upon me.”

Kirsty Coventry, aged 41, has held the position of Zimbabwe’s Minister of Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation since the year 2018. She became a member of the IOC as a representative of the Athletes’ Commission in 2013 and continued in that role until 2021, at which point she transitioned to being an individual member.

In a predominantly masculine and Westernised realm of institutional sport, Kirsty Coventry showcased, during this election, the dual symbolic advantage of being a woman, notably young, and African, albeit from the white minority descended from colonists.

She enjoys a distinct advantage, having garnered the backing of Thomas Bach, considering that nearly 60% of the current IOC members secured their positions during the tenure of the German president. The former swimmer, with her impressive history, can certainly take pride in her strong connections with athletes.

“This serves as a significant signal for all women in sport and represents an institution that is undergoing evolution,” remarked Marie Barsacq, the Minister of Sports, during her visit to Greece for the unveiling of the French initiative to host the Winter Olympic Games in the Alps in 2030.

Amidst the rain-soaked grounds of ancient Olympia on Tuesday, followed by the sunlit backdrop of the 144th IOC session on Wednesday and Thursday morning, the seven contenders in the race endeavoured to secure final backing and persuade the remaining undecided among the approximately hundred voters.

Alongside Kirsty Coventry, who garnered 49 of the 97 votes in the ballot, the six contenders included Frenchman David Lappartient (4 votes), Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr (28), Sebastian Coe from Britain (8), Japanese Morinari Watanabe (4), Jordanian Prince Feisal Al-Hussein (2), and British-Swedish Johan Eliasch (2).