Kirsty Coventry's game-changing bid for presidency: "It’s time"

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Kirsty Coventry's game-changing bid for presidency: "It’s time"
Fecha de publicación: 
25 September 2024
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Kirsty Coventry is making a historic bid to become the first female International Olympic Committee (IOC) president in its 130-year history. The Olympic swimming champion is Zimbabwe’s  Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation and is an elected member of the IOC Executive Committee. 

Should Coventry be elected to succeed Thomas Bach in March, she will also be the organisation’s first African in the role.

The five-time Olympian is optimistic about her chances to take charge of the Olympic movement. Coventry, who has often advocated for diversity and believes it “makes any team better”, told Zimpapers Sports Hub that “it’s time” for a woman and an African to take on the leading role in the organisation. Highlighting her experience in the IOC, specifically as Chair of the Athletes’ Commission, she believes she has the experience to head the organisation. 

She played a significant role in developing the IOC Athletes’ Commission’s strategy, focusing on community-building, empowering athletes to take part in the organisation's decision-making, and providing them opportunities to develop and grow in both their professional and personal lives. 

The Athletes’ Commission gave Coventry a holistic view of the Olympic Movement as the “athletes are at the heart of everything”. Representing them taught her the complexity of the challenges that they and the IOC face.

The Zimbabwean also spoke of the challenges the National Olympic Committees face. Having trained in the US and Zimbabwe, she knows how funding can differ between countries and how that affects athletes. She recalls having to be more “innovative” with the funds provided in Zimbabwe and how greatly she benefitted from the Olympic Solidarity model, whose scholarships allowed her to take some of the financial pressure off her parents. 

The 41-year-old said the Olympics has been part of her life from a very young age and this would be the pinnacle of her journey. Inspired to go for gold while watching the 1992 Barcelona Games, the then nine-year-old Coventry told her parents she wanted to participate and win in the Olympics. 

Despite being from a land-locked country, Coventry would go on to win seven medals in swimming, becoming Africa’s most decorated Olympian. 

Going from that to being involved in the IOC, Coventry said she was “living the dream”. Aside from the EC, she is also Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Dakar 2026 and Brisbane 2032. Recently, she has represented the IOC in addressing the vital role that sport plays in the UN Sustainable Development Goals during the United Nations General Assembly, providing the population with opportunities to foster community, promote peace and a way to prevent youth crime.

Now, she feels like she has to move that dream forward and get back into the competitive spirit as she runs against some of the most influential people in sports for the presidency

During her campaign, Coventry hopes to understand every single IOC member’s priority and how they see themselves in the Olympic Movement going forward. She believes this is key to the organisation’s success, how each one can play a role in the group’s success. In the spirit of Ubuntu, "I am because of who you are, because of who we all are."

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