Olympic gold medalist Kirsty Coventry makes IOC history as first female president
Kirsty Coventry was elected the new president of the International Olympic Committee Thursday.
Coventry, 41, becomes the first woman and first African named president of the IOC.
"It is a signal that we are truly global," Coventry said of her election.
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Coventry, a two-time Olympic swimming gold medalist, won in the first round of voting among seven candidates voted on by 97 IOC members. Coventry gets an eight-year mandate that runs through 2033.
The voters in the exclusive invited club of IOC members include royal family members, former lawmakers and diplomats, business leaders, sports officials and Olympic athletes.
It was not expected a candidate would be elected in the first round. Several rounds were predicted. Coventry received the exact majority of 49 necessary votes.
Others in the running were four presidents of sports governing bodies: Track and field's Sebastian Coe, skiing's Johan Eliasch, cycling’s David Lappartient and gymnastics' Morinari Watanabe. Also contending was Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan.
"I will make all of you very, very proud and hopefully extremely confident in the decision you have taken," Coventry said in her acceptance speech. "Now we have got some work together."
Coventry was Zimbabwe’s sports minister, and outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach had advocated for her to be his successor.
Coventry will formally replace her mentor Bach at a handover June 23, which is Olympic Day, as the 10th IOC president in its 131-year history. Bach reached the maximum 12 years in office.
Coventry won back-to-back titles in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2004 Athens Olympics and in Beijing four years later. She joined the IOC in 2013, almost one year after a disputed athlete election at the London Olympics.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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