LAUSANNE: Former Zimbabwean swimmer Kirsty Coventry took over the leadership of the International Olympic Committee from Thomas Bach in a ceremony on Monday with the 2028 Los Angeles Games already threatening to fill her in-tray to overflowing.
Coventry, who starts her eight-year spell officially on Tuesday as the most powerful sports administrator in the world, became the first woman and first African to be elected head of the Olympic ruling body in March and at 41 the youngest since Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who is credited with founding the modern-day Olympics.
Much of the discussion during campaigning focused on the IOC鈥檚 need for change in its marketing strategies with several top Olympic sponsors having left in the past 12 months.
However, with Los Angeles hit by protests against immigration raids, and relations tense between state and city officials, and the US government, the 2028 Games have become the major talking point in the movement that would ordinarily be focusing on next year鈥檚 Milano-Cortina Winter Games.
Coventry has long-standing ties with the United States, dating back to her time as a leading swimmer at Auburn University in Alabama. That will prove useful ahead of LA 2028, and she has said she will seek to meet with US President Donald Trump to discuss the Games.
Coventry will also need to find time to help secure the long-term finances of the movement. The IOC, which generates billions of dollars in revenues each year in sponsorship and broadcasting deals for the Olympics, has secured $7.3 billion for 2025-28 and $6.2 billion for 2029-2032. More contracts are expected for both periods.
Coventry is also expected to continue the IOC鈥檚 plans to expand commercial opportunities for sponsors at the Olympics with the organisation鈥檚 finances in a robust state and the privately-funded LA Olympics a good place to start.
Coventry needed only one round of voting to clinch the race to succeed Bach, beating six other candidates, making history for the African continent, with the IOC having been ruled for 131 years by European or North American men.
Her background and being the first female president will be assets in a diverse IOC membership and the international makeup of Olympic stakeholders.
On Monday she was handed the golden key to the IOC by Bach, who like her is an Olympic champion 鈥 he won a team fencing gold in 1976 and she earned two swimming golds in 2004 and 2008.
鈥淚 am really honoured I get to walk this journey with you. I cannot wait for anything that lies ahead,鈥 Coventry said in her address to IOC members and other Olympic stakeholders. 鈥淚 know I have the best team to support me and our movement over the next eight years.鈥
Stepping down after a turbulent 12-year tenure, Bach expressed his confidence that the Olympic movement was 鈥渋n the best of hands鈥 and Coventry would bring 鈥渃onviction, integrity and a dynamic perspective鈥 to the role.
Coventry, who swept to a crushing first-round victory in the election in Greece in March, leans heavily on her family.
Aside from her parents, who were present at the ceremony in Lausanne, there is her husband Tyrone Seward, who was effectively her campaign manager, and two daughters, six-year-old Ella, who Bach addresses as 鈥減rincess鈥, and Lily, just seven months old.
鈥淓lla saw this spider web in the garden and I pointed out how it is made, and how strong and resilient it is to bad weather and little critters,鈥 said Coventry, who takes over officially at midnight Swiss time Monday.
鈥淏ut if one little bit breaks it becomes weaker. That spider web is our movement, it is complex, beautiful and strong but it only works if we remain together and united.鈥
鈥楶URE PASSION鈥
Coventry said she could not believe how her life had evolved since she first dreamt of Olympic glory in 1992.
鈥淗ow lucky are we creating a platform for generations to come to reach their dreams,鈥 she said to a packed audience in a marquee in the Olympic House garden.
鈥淚t is amazing and incredible, indeed I cannot believe that from my dream in 1992 of going to an Olympic Games and winning a medal I would be standing here with you to make dreams for more young children round the world.鈥
Coventry, who served in the Zimbabwean government as sports and arts Minister from 2019 to this year, said the Olympic movement was much more than a 鈥渕ulti-sport event platform.鈥
鈥淲e (IOC members) are guardians of this movement, which is also about inspiring and changing lives and bringing hope,鈥 she said.
鈥淭hese things are not to be taken lightly and I will be working with each and every one of you to continue to change lives and be a beacon of hope in a divided world.鈥
Coventry will hold a two-day workshop this week to get feedback from members on key IOC issues.
鈥淲orking together and consistently finding ways to strengthen and keep united our movement that will ensure that we wake up daily… to continue to inspire,鈥 she said.
Bach, who during his tenure had to grapple with Russian doping and their invasions of the Crimea and Ukraine as well as the Covid pandemic, said he was standing down filled with 鈥済ratitude, joy and confidence鈥 in his successor.
鈥淲ith her election it sends out a powerful message, that the IOC continues to evolve,鈥 said the 71-year-old German, who was named honorary lifetime president in Greece in March.
鈥淚t has its first female and African to hold this position, and the youngest president since Pierre de Coubertin. She represents the truly global and youthful spirit of our community.鈥
Bach, who choked back tears at one point during his valedictory speech, was praised to the rafters by Coventry, who was widely seen as his preferred candidate of the seven vying for his post.
After a warm embrace she credited him with tea-ching her to 鈥渓isten to people and to respect them,鈥 and praised him for leading the movement with 鈥減ure passion and purpose.鈥
鈥淵ou have kept us united through the most turbulent times. You left us with many legacies and hope, thank you from the bottom of my heart for leading us with passion and never wavering from our values.鈥
Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2025