Kirsty Coventry Makes History As International Olympic Committee's First Female And African President
3 days agoThu, 20 Mar 2025 23:38:41 GMT
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Kirsty Coventry, has been elected as the 10th President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The 41-year-old was chosen in a secret vote of seven candidates during the 144th IOC Session in Costa Navarino, Greece, on March 20. She will serve an eight-year term.
Coventry makes history as the IOC’s first female and first African president in its 130-year history.
She secured an immediate majority in the vote, receiving 49 of the 97 available votes.
Coventry beat Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., who came second with 28 votes. Britain’s Sebastian Coe, a leading contender, placed third with eight votes.
The remaining votes were cast for Frenchman David Lappartient, Jordan’s Prince Feisal, Swedish-born Johan Eliasch, and Japan’s Morinari Watanabe.
Speaking to her fellow IOC members at the luxurious seaside resort in Greece’s southwestern Peloponnese, Coventry said:
This is not just a huge honour but it is a reminder of my commitment to every single one of you that I will lead this organisation with so much pride.
I will make all of you very, very proud, and hopefully extremely confident with the choice you’ve taken today, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Coventry will officially take office on Olympic Day, June 23, after the handover from President Bach. Bach will remain in his role until then, but will resign as an IOC Member following the transfer of power and will take on the title of Honorary President.
Coventry’s first major event will be overseeing the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, with less than 11 months until the Opening Ceremony.
Lawyer Fadzayi Mahere explained that the Constitution prohibits Coventry from holding both her ministerial position and the office of IOC president, so she will have to step down as Minister of Sport.
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61 Comments
Holiten · 18 hours ago
Pasi nevarume vanopfeka madress
Xx · 1 day ago
Congratulations to Kirsty Coventry,you have made Zimbabwe and Africa proud.
Chicken · 2 days ago
Fadzai is an extrovert. She rushed to conclusions instead of doing the most noble gesture of congratulating her country woman first, she jumps a possible job opportunity to be created by Contry's departure. Kuchivanhu tinoti kuzhangandira. Same applies to the death of a person, despite the deceased being your number one enemy, unongoti, "Nedzoi", kwete "Tswatu waro."
Boyze · 2 days ago
Kirsty will do very well in her new post. Murungu ka uyu, asiyana naana Dambudzo vanongozvifunga ivo bedzi. Hanzi "The voice of the people is the voice of God", asi chobudapo dhololo
Kingston · 2 days ago
🤣🤣🤣 Ana fadzi kupaparika chete kuda kunzi vanoziva 😂😂😂 havagone kugarisika pane vanhu😂😂😂
Anonymous · 2 days ago
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😎Tous l'est, jours · 2 days ago
Kwatomhanywa naMahere, already,. 🤷♂️ Ndotype iya inoti ika pinda ku Movie house yotovhunza kuti firimu ropera rinhi asati atomboona zviratidzwa zve firimu racho
Patz · 2 days ago
Ana Mahere kuvhengedzera unofunga kuti Kirsty angarambe akabatirira kuchiMinistry achirega zvake kuenda ku Switzerland ku IOC HQ kumari svinu yakachena. Kirsty is not a politician but simply a sportsperson
Anonymous · 2 days ago
Musatukira Mahere nyaya isi yake, sa lawyer imhosva here kupindura journalist akamuvhunza the implications of getting such a post iye ari a serving Minister
Anonymous · 2 days ago
Vachihera make some of us feel proud to be Zimbabwean i remember like yesterday when me and my friends sang nyama yekugocha vachihera vachidhidha paChina 2008, for a change we have better things to talk about, is fadzayi happy or jealous can't understand her comment it's common sense she will leave the ministerial post and proudly represent Zimbabwe and Africa for eight years, hope can bring Olympics to Africa
Kenny · 2 days ago
Congratulations to Kirsty Coventry!
foxbat · 2 days ago
congratulation Kirst wish u the best for the coming 8 years u will be I O C.president
skun · 3 days ago
congratulations Kirsty..first president from Zimbabwe to win a free and fair election 👏👏
2John shumba · 3 days ago
Hapana chinobuda, being a player is different from an Administrator. Sadly wachamudzinga
Deem · 3 days ago
as much as I don't like her,do u think that she hasn't done any courses on sports administration etc..same in soccer how many player are now coaching after taking part in coaching clinics,koivo masports administer vakazvarwa vachinzi maadmin or vakazvidzidzira
Anonymous · 23 hours ago
Who is going to teach her about sport? She has competed in five Olympics and has one seven medals. She knows more than teachers!
Ediots · 3 days ago
why attack Mahere when the law is clear. if she doesnt step down she will be dragged to court and that will paint a picture gloomy enough for International bodies to continue rubbing shoulders with her.
Ediots · 3 days ago
with her level of incompetence i dont see much happening under her watch
Anonymous · 3 days ago
Uyuwo uyu ane godo,koo iwewe unogonei?
Anonymous · 23 hours ago
Zimbabwe's Ministry of Sport needs better funding it has a budget allocation that is barely enough to pay staff wages.
mosi yatunya · 3 days ago
anongosiyaka chiministry chemuno chesports chakadhakwa karr kare,oita bâsa benyu ríisina kufa,congradulations,ya mvura inoerera nepayakamboerera napo
Corruptmore Looto · 3 days ago
It's amazing how bäșťärds are blaming her for failing to solve the stadia crisis, what did you expect her to do, to build stadiums with her own cash. I think she already stated that the allocation from treasury was never enough to really get anything done. The stadia issue will probably require ED himself to force his government to allocate the funds and the warriors have always faltered since who knows, we can't blame her for that, ZIFA needs to solve that problem. And finally you should be proud as a Zimbabwean that she has done so much for our tiny country, reaching such a rarefied position is something to behold not criticise, she probably has been one of the most patriotic Zimbabweans of our time from winning medals to bagging the top job in the world of sports, so seriously if you can't appreciate that then I don't know what you will ever appreciate.
1
Anonymous · 2 days ago
Honesty would be nice.
Anti•Geza Social Club ™🤝🇿🇼 · 3 days ago
vatanga ma CCC vana Mahere maziromo ake
Xxx · 3 days ago
Mahere ane ma issues ko Coventry wacho aramba here. Jst congratulate umwe don't be a b.i.tc.h.
Anti•Geza Social Club ™🤝🇿🇼 · 3 days ago
nighet
mnhu
· 3 days ago
Congratulations 🎉🎉🎉
Kongaring Kongara · 3 days ago
Congratulations Kirsty,i also wish you the best perfomance in your new Position,God bless you.
Dok25 · 3 days ago
Congratulations to Kirsty! Now she will be where she can perform at her best with no budget constraints, not being made a scapegoat, and her decisions being implemented. We could not see her potential which the whole world has seen. She is like that stone which the builders cast away yet to be looked for and be used at a corner where the strongest rocks are required! The white Zimbabwean has made Zimbabwe and Africa proud for the right reasons!
😎Tous l'est, jours · 3 days ago
Way to go girl, you never walk alone
Anonymous · 3 days ago
musi waaita president mawarriors achitambira kusouth africa bcoz zim stadiums are s h i t just like kirsty wacho
coni · 3 days ago
fadzai mahere anoziva mutemo pamberi nafaadzai mahere pasi na kiti Coventry
patriotic · 3 days ago
dont comprare kirsty coventry nema h u r e iwe
milking honey 💰 money · 3 days ago
@Progress ndimi type yekuti kana ukapuwa bhodho rechikafu gore rese hamutendi ndeupi minister akambo vaka stedium ne mari yake yemuhomwe nyararayi kanamakundwa three cheers to President Kirsty Coventry leave the sheety ministry today
Eager · 3 days ago
Since her position as sports minister boosted her Cv so she can become IOC president,now ngaachisiya coz hapana zvozikanwa...
07 · 3 days ago
Well done President Kirsty Coventry 🙏
dc · 3 days ago
worst ever minister
GEN-Z · 3 days ago
senyika zvotivatsirei?
jobho · 3 days ago
ndiri garden boy wakee
Patz · 3 days ago
Ngaachisiyane nechiZanu
geza 2 · 3 days ago
I bet she will quiting her ministry position soon and leave this country. haasi muZANU kauuyu. well done kirsty
Anonymous · 23 hours ago
She will have to live in Switzerland. How tough is that? The ruling party used her now she gets her chance to exploit them!
vharazipi · 3 days ago
wavakuziva strategy how to rig chimwana chemusangano hachidyiwe maElection icho
Alphandega · 3 days ago
Coventry if given the money she requested she cld have managed the issues of grounds in zimbabwe and this position came as a result of her achievement in olympics not becoz she holds an office in zimbabwe and if she will be given option to chose between the 2 she will leave zimbabwean job
Motorola · 3 days ago
Congratulations Kirsty
progress · 3 days ago
Va voter vacho vanoziva here kuti Zim haina stadium under Coventry leadership
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Patz · 3 days ago
They know very well that its not her faulty but a Zvigananda gvt. She is a perfect sports woman who knows her things but is overshadowed by criminal politicking by his Zanu peers
Anonymous · 3 days ago
Overshadowed? More like participated. This farm thief is corruptible, that is the primary motivation for election. The world over all this organisations have become money laundering operations.
Lipper · 3 days ago
urikuda avakise Stadium 🏟 nemari yake hr
Walter Magaya · 3 days ago
@ waona pakanzi Haasi kuvakisa here,,why she is failing to push ma renovations a nss
Patz · 3 days ago
Kana akapusher asingapihwe mari yacho ne gvt zvobatsirei.
. · 3 days ago
dai akabva asiya ku ministry muno muzim cx haana dvpt
Patz · 3 days ago
Anotosiya akamirire matakanana iwayo. She was just enriching her CV like what Mthuli is doing
chombo · 3 days ago
mhere pese pese. ****.
