
Coventry Becomes First Woman and First African to Lead IOC
Kirsty Coventry smashed through the International Olympic Committee's glass ceiling on Thursday to become the organization's first female and first African president in its 130-year history.
The Zimbabwean swimming great, already a towering figure in Olympic circles, emerged victorious to replace Thomas Bach, securing the top job in world sport and ushering in a new era for the Games.
Coventry needed only one round of voting to clinch the race to succeed Bach, winning an immediate overall majority in the secret ballot with 49 of the available 97 votes, Reuters reported.
She beat Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. into second place, the Spaniard winning 28 votes. Britain's Sebastian Coe, considered one of the front runners in the days leading up to the vote, came third with eight votes.
The remaining votes went to Frenchman David Lappartient, Jordan's Prince Feisal, Swedish-born Johan Eliasch, and Japan's Morinari Watanabe.
"This is not just a huge honor but it is a reminder of my commitment to every single one of you that I will lead this organization with so much pride," a beaming Coventry told her fellow IOC members at the luxury seaside resort in Greece's southwestern Peloponnese which hosted the IOC Session.
"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.
"Now we've got some work together and I'd like to thank the candidates -- this race was an incredible race and it made us better, it made us a stronger movement.
"I know from the conversations I've had with every single one of you how much stronger our movement is going to be."
The seven-times Olympic medalist joined the IOC's Athletes' Commission in 2012, and her election to the top job signals a new era for the IOC, with expectations that she will bring a fresh perspective to pressing issues such as athlete rights, the gender debate, and the sustainability of the Games.
A champion of sport development in Africa, Coventry has pledged to expand Olympic participation and ensure the Games remain relevant to younger generations.
She also inherits the complex task of navigating relations with global sports federations and sponsors while maintaining the IOC's financial stability, which has relied heavily on its multibillion-dollar broadcasting and sponsorship deals.
As she takes the helm, the global sporting community will be watching closely to see how she shapes the future of the world's biggest multi-sport organization.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Leaders
5 hours ago
- Leaders
US-China Trade Deal 'Done': Trump
The US and China have agreed on a trade deal after two days of talks in London between American and Chinese officials. On Wednesday, the US President, Donald Trump, announced that a deal with China had been finalized. 'Our deal with China is done,' he posted on his Truth Social platform. US-China Trade Deal Trump added that the deal, which is subject to approval from China's President Xi Jinping and himself, will grant the US access to the rare earth metals it needs, while the Chinese college students will be able to attend American universities. 'Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities,' he said. 'We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. Relationship is excellent!' Trump noted. Framework Agreement The announcement followed two days of negotiations between American and Chinese officials in London to resolve trade disputes and ease export restrictions, reported Reuters. Both sides agreed on Tuesday on a 'framework deal' that adds crucial details to implement the consensus reached last month in Geneva to ease reciprocal retaliatory tariffs, according to the US Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick. 'We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus and the call between the two presidents,' Lutnik said, referring to a phone call last week between Trump and Xi, which the US President said was a 'very good talk.' Lutnik told reporters that the framework would remove restrictions on Chinese exports of rare earth minerals and magnets and some of the recent US export restrictions 'in a balanced way,' without providing details. Similarly, the Chinese Vice Commerce Minister, Li Chenggang, said in a separate briefing that the US and China had reached a trade framework 'in principle' pending the approval of both presidents. Geneva Talks Last month, the US and China agreed to suspend most of their reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, following two days of talks in Geneva, Switzerland. Both sides announced in a joint statement that they agreed on a 110% tariff reduction for 90 days. Thus, the US would reduce tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while China would lower duties on US goods from 125% to 10%, taking effect on May 14, 2025. Short link : Post Views: 126


Leaders
5 hours ago
- Leaders
Knesset Vote Puts Netanyahu's Government on Verge of Collapse
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government faces a major challenge as lawmakers will vote Wednesday on a bill to dissolve the parliament (Knesset), reported AFP. The vote comes as the Israeli opposition – consisting mainly of centrist and leftist groups – submitted a bill to dissolve the parliament, which could mark the first step toward a snap election. 'The opposition faction leaders have decided to bring the bill to dissolve the Knesset to a vote in the Knesset plenum today. The decision was made unanimously and is binding on all factions,' opposition leaders said in a statement. They also added that they would freeze their ongoing legislation to focus on 'the overthrow of the government.' Moreover, the ultra-Orthodox parties that are bolstering Netanyahu's government are also threatening to support the dissolution bill. The vote follows a dispute over compulsory military service, amid Israel's ongoing war on Gaza. Netanyahu's far-right government has been seeking to reverse the long-standing exemption from the draft for ultra-Orthodox Jews – a move rejected by ultra-Orthodox parties. Still, if the bill gets a majority of votes on Wednesday, it will require three additional rounds of voting to dissolve the Knesset. This would give Netanyahu's coalition more time to resolve the dispute over conscription. Furthermore, the opposition could pull the bill at the last minute if Netanyahu managed to address the crisis before the vote, scheduled later on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Short link : Post Views: 113 Related Stories

Al Arabiya
7 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Ukraine's military says it struck Russia's Tambov gunpowder plant
The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday that it struck Russia's Tambov gunpowder plant overnight, causing a fire. 'It produces gunpowder for various types of small arms, artillery and rocket systems,' the Ukrainian military said in a statement on Telegram, characterizing the plant as one of the main facilities in the Russian military industrial complex. The Ukrainian military also said that it recorded explosions at an ammunition depot in Kursk region and an airfield depot in Voronezh region. Reuters was not able to independently confirm the incidents.