Kirsty Coventry elected IOC president, becoming first woman and first African to lead the Olympic body | Global News Avenue

Kirsty Coventry was elected president of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday and became the first woman and African to receive the largest job in world sport.

“This shows that we are indeed global,” said Zimbabwe’s sports minister and two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Her first-round victory in the seven candidates contest was amazing after 97 IOC members voted.

She received an eight-year authorization in 2033 and was only 41 years old – young by the IOC’s historical standards.

It was the most open and hardest IOC presidential election in decades, and Coventry is expected to lead the first round of the absolute majority. Despite the widespread prediction of several vote rounds, she received an exact majority of 49 votes.

Coventry’s victory was also the outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach, who has long been seen as a promotion to successor. He did not use his voting rights.

“The young girls who started swimming in Zimbabwe for the first time a few years ago will never dream of dreaming,” Coventry said in an acceptance speech.

“I am very proud to be the first female president of the International Olympic Committee and the first woman in Africa,” she added. “I hope this vote will be an inspiration for many. The glass ceiling has been broken today and I am fully aware of my responsibility as a role model.”

“I will make all of you very, very proud and hope to be very confident in the decision you made. Now we have some work done.”

Juan Antonio Samaranch walked to the podium, congratulated and kissed both cheeks, the closest competitor she expected, with 28 votes.

There are also four presidents of the sports dominant institutions in the competition: Sebastian Coe of track and field, Johan Eliasch of skiing, David Lapartient of cycling and Morinari Watanabe of gymnastics. And Prince Faisal Al Hussein of Jordan also argued.

Coventry will officially replace her mentor Bach, the official Olympic Day, on June 23, becoming the 10th President of the IOC in the 131-year history. Bach served for up to 12 years.

“We celebrate Kirsty’s election as president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and eagerly look forward to working with her as she brings the Olympics into the future,” the U.S. Olympic Committee said in a statement. “As an Olympian athlete and dedicated IOC member, Kirsty demonstrates a strong commitment to promoting global sports and creating opportunities for athletes. As we look forward to the transformative decade of the Olympic and Paralympics in the United States, we will provide important collaboration on IC in important partnerships in the United States. The necessary conditions for achieving our shared goals.”

Olympics face challenges

The 41-year-old Auburn graduate’s main challenge will shift to Olympic sports through political and sports issues 2028 Summer Games in Los Angelesincluding diplomacy with US President Donald Trump.

The IOC in Coventry also needs to find the host of the 2036 Summer Olympics, which may go to India or the Middle East.

The strongest candidate in the five-month campaign drafted by Bach-led IOC seems to be Coventry, who recently gave birth to her second child – International Olympic Committee Vice President Samaranch and Samaranch and Coe.

Coventry’s Manifesto Bach offers few new details, while her competitors have specific details that benefit Olympic athletes, and she has just recently been 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

Coventry wrote in her manifesto that she will “continue to prioritize (athletes) mental health, physical recovery, and amplify their overall well-being to help them thrive throughout their athletic cause and beyond.”

Coe’s World Track and Field broke the Olympic taboo, tracking gold medalists in Paris last year, paying $50,000. Samaranch promises to relax strict IOC business rules and control footage of their Olympic performances for athletes.

Samaranch tried to follow his father, Juan Antonio Samaranch, the seventh president of the IOC from 1980 to 2001.

The COE aims to add to the extraordinary career of Olympic victories: in the 1,500m two Olympic gold medalist, he led the bidding team for the 2012 London Olympics and then over the next seven years the organizing teams of those widely praised competitions. He only got eight votes.

It was an excellent week for Bach, who greeted Coventry and shared a warm smile after receiving the speech.

Bach started his emotional start on Wednesday, earning the IOC annual meeting, with luxurious acclaim and a lifetime honorary title. He repeated his desire to advise the next president.

His actual executive style presidency will be financially secure IOC, expected to earn over $8 billion in revenue through LA Olympics in 2028 and future hosts in 2034 to 2034: in Italy, the United States, France, Australia, Australia, and finally return to Salt Lake City again at the Winter Games.

The signed Bach policy is also gender equality, with quotas for both male and female athletes equally at the 2024 Paris Olympics and a better balance among women in the IOC and chair of the Executive Committee, and now, there are seven out of 15 members, including Coventry.

Her victory on Thursday will only increase Bach’s legacy for promoting women.

Four years later, Coventry won back-to-back championships in the 2004 Athens Olympics and Beijing in 2004 with a 200-meter back stroke. She joined the International Olympic Committee in 2013 after a controversial athlete election in London. Her elected status among four athletes was eventually awarded after arbitration in a sports ruling against two opponents.

The next president can oversee the International Olympic Committee’s decision to make a statement for the 2036 Summer Olympics.

“There is only one,” Samaranch said on Wednesday when asked about future challenges. “We have to focus on success and related Olympics. The rest have been successful in the Olympics.”

Voters of the IOC exclusive club members include royals, former lawmakers and diplomats, business leaders, sports officials and Olympic athletes. Even Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh.

Members voted to pass further speeches by candidates in the election, which swings across a cautious network of friendship and alliances.