18 November 2025 – Addressing the audience of the European Evening of Sport, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry has emphasised that governments must “keep sport a neutral ground”.
During the flagship event of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) on Monday (17 November) in Brussels, the double Olympic champion in swimming said in a powerful keynote: “Sport must remain a beacon of hope – a place where people can come together in peaceful competition. This is the essence of Olympism: every eligible athlete, team and official must be able to take part without discrimination or political interference.”
Coventry called on host countries and sports event organisers to live up to their duty: “They must guarantee access for all and respect the universality and autonomy of sport.” The Zimbabwean reminded everyone of her own story: “If you had decided to sanction me when my country was going through turmoil, I would not have made it to the Olympic Games. I would not have won my Olympic medals. My path would have been completely different than it is today. Sport changed my life. And I am so grateful for that, and I will fight every day to ensure athletes from every corner of our world have the same possibilities.”
Coventry’s speech was interrupted by spontaneous applause from the audience, which consisted of representatives of the Olympic Movement and high-level decision-makers of the European Union (EU). Among the guests was the EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, with whom Coventry and EOC President and IOC Executive Board (EB) member Spyros Capralos had met earlier that day to discuss the role that sport plays in Europe.
“We know that sport delivers real value for society. Research has shown that sport is one of the most effective low-cost high-impact tools that we have. It improves health, it strengthens communities, it supports education, and it promotes inclusion,” IOC President Coventry highlighted. “As the EU develops future policies on health, equality and inclusion, sport should remain at the centre of that conversation. The update of the EU’s recommendations for physical activity is another opportunity to work together to address the growing challenging of inactivity across Europe.”
In her speech, the IOC President also emphasised that all voices in the Olympic Movement are equal: “We listen to all voices, and we treat every member with the same equal respect. We welcome new ideas wherever they come from. The universality of sport means that every athlete, every NOC, every Federation has the exact same value. Whether from the global north or the global south: in sport everyone is equal. Democracy in sport means exactly that: every voice and every vote carry the same weight.”
At the same time, President Coventry, who had been welcomed earlier by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, whom she met together with IOC Member Michael Mronz, also highlighted the concept of “responsible autonomy” in her keynote. “For us, autonomy means taking responsibility – being transparent and accountable and living up to the trust that society places in sport; because if we lose that, we're going to lose the next generation. I believe in strong governance and open dialogue. These two elements go hand in hand with a healthy sport movement.”
In this context, she praised the progress that the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have made with regard to athlete representation. “I want to thank all 27 NOCs in the EU that have full athletes' commissions. It's not just a structure, but it's an actual principle that athletes have a voice, and they can add real value to every single thing that we do.”
Le Roi reçoit la nouvelle présidente du Comité international olympique, Mme Kirsty Coventry, en audience. pic.twitter.com/N5mpCDBI38
— Belgian Royal Palace (@MonarchieBe) November 17, 2025
Earlier in the day, President Coventry was welcomed by His Majesty King Philippe at the Royal Palace.
She then visited the Belgian National Olympic Committee (BOIC), where President Jean-Michel Saive and CEO Cédric Van Branteghem briefed her on Team Belgium’s preparations for Milano Cortina 2026 and the outstanding success of the Team Belgium at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where the team won 10 medals and 55 per cent of all 172 athletes participating for Team Belgium made it into the top eight.
“I am very happy to visit the BOIC. Together with Cédric and Jean-Michel, we are all Olympians, and I am very pleased to see that the Belgian Olympic movement places its trust in its former athletes. I was able to attend the impressive presentation about Team Belgium’s Olympic Dream. It is great to see the excellent work carried out by Jean-Michel Saive and his teams. It was also very exciting to hear about the preparations for Milano Cortina. Good luck to Team Belgium,” Coventry said during her visit.
