Kirsty Coventry has been elected president of the International Olympic Committee, making history as the first woman and first African to hold the position.
The 41-year-old Zimbabwean secured a majority in the first round of voting, unexpectedly defeating six other candidates. She will succeed Germany’s Thomas Bach, whose 12-year tenure ends on 23 June, and assume office the following day as the IOC’s 10th president in its 131-year history.
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A two-time Olympic swimming champion, Coventry serves as Zimbabwe’s sports minister and has been an IOC member since 2013. She was widely regarded as Bach’s preferred successor.
Following her election, she described the moment as ‘extraordinary’ and a ‘huge honour’ in a brief address to IOC members.
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