19 June, 2025 - IOC President-elect Kirsty Coventry has been speaking about her vision for The Olympic Movement, as she prepares to officially lead the organisation from June 23.
Coventry is creating history by becoming the first female, and first African, to lead the International Olympic Committee. Coventry was elected the 10th President of the organisation at the 144th IOC Session in Costa Navarino, Greece in March, succeeding Thomas Bach who has served as President since 2013.
In a special interview with the Olympic Channel’s Director of Daily Content Benny Bonsu, Coventry discussed her ambitions for the IOC, building on the organisation's long history of improving society through sport.
“We have to be proud that we're a movement that not just lives by its values, but shares its values, and promotes its values,” said Coventry. “And if we can find more ways to do that in the future, and can reach all households around the world, that's part of my goal. How do we have more reach to communities across our massive globe? How do we reach those children to share our values with them? How do we reach them to inspire them?”
Coventry was only the second woman ever to run for the post, and prevailed over six other candidates in the opening round with 49 out of 97 votes.
“I don’t really look at the Presidency as a weight. Are there a lot of expectations? Yes. Does that come with a lot of responsibility? Yes. But I’m really so honoured to have been given this opportunity, and I’m so excited for what the future holds. It’s a movement that has been a part of my life for so long, so it almost feels like a very natural progression.
41-year-old Zimbabwean Coventry competed as a swimmer in five Olympic Games from Sydney 2000, winning seven medals, including two gold, making her Africa’s most decorated Olympian.
Returning to Zimbabwe, she was met with a rapturous hero's welcome, a powerful symbol at a time when the country was torn by internal strife. It was a memory that shaped Coventry’s IOC presidential campaign, a message she shared in her presentation to members in January on “the transformative power of sport”.
Coventry joined the IOC in 2013 as an athlete member. She chaired the Athletes' Commission and served on the Executive Board from 2018 to 2021. She was elected an individual member in 2021 and re-elected to the Executive Board in 2023
Meanwhile, she dedicated herself to giving back to her community in Zimbabwe, founding the Kirsty Coventry academy to teach children to swim, and the HEROES programme with husband Tyrone Seward to provide a safe sports environment for kids. In 2018, Coventry was appointed Zimbabwe’s Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, where she worked on legislation to combat match-fixing, abuse and sexual harassment in sports.
