A look back at new IOC president Kirsty Coventry's Olympic career

Record ID: 1984735

  • Title: A look back at new IOC president Kirsty Coventry's Olympic career
  • Date: 20th March 2025
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ZIMBABWE OLYMPIC MEDALLIST SWIMMER, KIRSTY COVENTRY, SAYING: "To walk away with a gold and three silvers, was just -- it was great. Obviously the three silvers, by the third one I was getting a bit frustrated, so close to three golds, that last one was very special and it was an honour for me to be able to win that and then hear the Zimbabwe national
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  • Keywords: IOC IOC President IOC Presidential candidates Kirsty Coventry Olympic Games gold medals
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: Zimbabwe
  • Topics: Africa,Olympics,Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA009045620032025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Kirsty Coventry smashed through the International Olympic Committee’s glass ceiling on Thursday (March 20) to become the organisation’s first female and first African president in its 130-year history.
    The Zimbabwean swimming great, already a towering figure in Olympic circles, emerged victorious to replace Thomas Bach, securing the top job in world sport and ushering in a new era for the Games.
    Coventry won seven Olympic medals - including two gold medals in the women's 200m backstroke - at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. To put that into context, Zimbabwe have won eight medals in total in its history.
    A champion of sport development in Africa, Coventry has pledged to expand Olympic participation and ensure the Games remain relevant to younger generations.
    She also inherits the complex task of navigating relations with global sports federations and sponsors while maintaining the IOC’s financial stability, which has relied heavily on its multibillion-dollar broadcasting and sponsorship deals.
    As she takes the helm, the global sporting community will be watching closely to see how Coventry shapes the future of the world’s biggest multi-sport organisation.
    Any IOC members with a superstitious streak might rest easier tonight — Kirsty Coventry’s golden touch in Greece shows no signs of fading.
    Champion in Athens 2004, victorious again in Pylos, the omens are stacking up.
    (Production: Tim Hart)
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