4 d. ago Newly elected IOC President Kirsty Coventry celebrated on return home to Zimbabwe

Newly elected International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry has arrived in her home country of Zimbabwe to a hero’s welcome as her victory is celebrated as a national milestone

Politics

6 d. ago View from Africa: how Kirsty Coventry will handle sport’s biggest job at the IOC

Incoming president owes her position to political support but is promising a collective and sustainable approachThe International Olympic Committee’s president-elect, Kirsty Coventry, did not initially have designs on a role in sports administration until she was thrust into it, essentially by politics.On 7 September 2018, Coventry found out, along with the rest of Zimbabwe, that she had been appointed as the country’s minister for sports, art and recreation. She was the only white person on the 23-member cabinet, a unifier, albeit briefly, of a nation divided by racial schisms and labelled the “golden girl” by the then-deposed president Robert Mugabe. As an athlete who was also seen as a patriot, in a country where non-compliance has had serious ramifications, she could not refuse the position. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Sent to Coventry: how Bach’s power helped Zimbabwean’s shock IOC win

Poll result defied candidates’ calculations and illustrated outgoing president’s influence but change may yet comeIt might sound beyond ridiculous, given the scale of Kirsty Coventry’s seismic victory in the International Olympic Committee presidential election. But as the various royals, sporting dignitaries, politicians and billionaires left the Costa Navarino resort on Friday, some really believed the result could have turned out very differently.Yes, the 41-year-old Zimbabwean ex-swimmer had won in the first round with 49 votes to become the first woman to lead the IOC. And yes, Juan Antonio Samaranch and Sebastian Coe, the other members of the “Big Three”, had come away with just 28 and eight votes respectively. But in the postmortem there were several stories about how the IOC machine had powered Thomas Bach’s chosen successor over the line. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago So it’s victory for Kirsty Coventry in the IOC elections. Who says cards with a rigged deck isn’t an Olympic sport? | Marina Hyde

The Zimbabwean has global sport’s top job but Britain’s Sebastian Coe was snubbed, and with good reason: he might have changed thingsCongratulations to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the surprise election of its new president, Kirsty Coventry, confirming its status as one of the few electorates on Earth never to have had a change election. Another one is Fifa, with those two organisations’ eternal contest to be the worst-run governing body remaining easily the hardest-fought rivalry in world sport.Yes, the IOC has been in its 144th special session to elect a new leader. Don’t worry – it hasn’t been all hard beds, spartan canteens and bad lighting, as is inflicted on the poor old cardinals in Conclave. The three-day event inevitably took place at a five-star luxury Greek resort.Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication...

Politics

7 d. ago Why Seb Coe lost the room in crushing IOC presidential election defeat

Lord Coe finished a distant third in the race for the prestigious role leading the Olympic movement after making enemies inside the IOC, writes Lawrence Ostlere – but that was not the only reason

Politics

7 d. ago So who is Kirsty Coventry, who now has global sport’s most powerful job? | Sean Ingle

IOC’s first female president faces significant challenges including handling Donald Trump’s power and protecting women’s sportsBarely an hour after Kirsty Coventry had become the most powerful figure in global sport at the relatively tender age of 41, she faced a series of verbal grenades about how she might handle Donald Trump in her new role.What would the new president of the International Olympic Committee respond, the first interrogator asked, if the American president tried to cause trouble during the Los Angeles Olympics by banning athletes from certain countries? Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Seb Coe gracious after crushing defeat to Kirsty Coventry in IOC presidential election

Lord Coe earned just eight of 97 votes

Politics

7 d. ago New Olympics chief Kirsty Coventry backs blanket ban for trans athletes from all female events

Former Zimbabwean Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry, 41, was today elected as the new Olympics chief, pipping Lord Sebastian Coe and Juan Antonio Samaranch to the position.

Politics

7 d. ago Sebastian Coe secures only eight votes as Kirsty Coventry elected IOC president

Coventry secured the absolute majority necessary for victory in the very first round.

Politics

8 d. ago Kirsty Coventry elected first female president of IOC as Coe denied in vote

Zimbabwean former swimmer won majority in first roundSebastian Coe and Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr lose outThe former Olympic swimming champion Kirsty Coventry has become the first woman to lead the International Olympic Committee in its 131-year history, after winning a shock first round win over a seven-strong field that included Britain’s Sebastian Coe.The 41-year-old Coventry won 49 of the 97 votes of the IOC membership, giving her an immediate majority and also making her the first African to become IOC president and the most powerful woman in global sport. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Kirsty Coventry elected first female president of IOC as Coe routed in vote

Zimbabwean former swimmer won majority in first roundSebastian Coe is third; Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr secondThe former Olympic swimming champion Kirsty Coventry has become the first woman to lead the International Olympic Committee in its 131-year history, after a shock first-round win over a seven-strong field that included Britain’s Sebastian Coe.The 41-year-old Coventry won 49 of the 97 votes of the IOC membership, giving her an immediate majority and also making her the first African to become IOC president and the most powerful woman in global sport. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Kirsty Coventry becomes first female IOC president as Seb Coe misses out on Olympic throne

The former swimmer was confirmed as Thomas Bach’s successor on Thursday

Politics

8 d. ago IOC presidential election LIVE: Kirsty Coventry beats Seb Coe to claim historic victory

Lord Coe is up against Juan Antonio Samaranch, whose father was IOC president for 21 years, and Zimbabwean former swimmer Kirsty Coventry in a battle for the most powerful post in sport

Politics

8 d. ago BREAKING: Seb Coe falls short as IOC votes for Kirsty Coventry to become next president

In a minor shock just one round of voting was required to elect Kirsty Coventry as the IOC's 10th president and first female and African to be handed the biggest job in world sport

Politics

8 d. ago Coe feels ‘momentum’ but IOC presidential race remains on knife

Vote on next IOC president to take place on ThursdaySamaranch Jr, Coventry and Coe the leading contendersSebastian Coe feels he has momentum as the race to become the next president of the International Olympic Committee reaches its final hours. Most experts believe the seven-strong contest to be the next leader of global sport is on a knife-edge, with Coe one of the “big three” alongside the Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, who is the favourite, and Kirsty Coventry, whowould be the first female president of the IOC.However, Lord Coe struck an upbeat message after meeting many of the 98 voters who will decide his fate before the vote on Thursday afternoon. “I feel there is momentum,” he said. “I have enjoyed the campaign and the discussions I have had. I have listened a lot and I’ve heard about what members are concerned about and what they would like to change. Continue reading...

Politics