Kirsty Coventry Makes History as First Woman, African President of the IOC
Zimbabwean swimming legend Kirsty Coventry has shattered a 130-year-old barrier, becoming the first woman and the first African to be elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as per Al Jazeera.
The historic election was held on Thursday.
Coventry, a celebrated Olympian and already a prominent figure within the Olympic movement, secured a resounding victory in the race to succeed Thomas Bach, winning an immediate majority in the secret ballot. With 49 of the 97 available votes, she surpassed her competitors in the first round of voting.
Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. of Spain came in second with 28 votes. Pre-vote frontrunner, Britain’s Sebastian Coe, surprisingly finished third with only eight votes. The remaining votes were divided among Frenchman David Lappartient, Jordan’s Prince Feisal Al Hussein, Swedish-born Johan Eliasch, and Japan’s Morinari Watanabe.
