The Kirsty Covantry on Thursday collapsed through a glass roof to become the first woman and first African President of the organization through a glass roof of the International Olympic Committee in its 130 -year history.
Zimbabwe’s swimming great, already in Olympic circles, a huge man, Thomas won to change Bakh, was getting a top job in the world game and entering a new era for sports.
“This is actually a powerful sign,” a smiling covantry stated that drowned in victory. “This is a sign that we are really global and we have developed into an organization that is really open to diversity and we are going to continue.”
Covantry required only one round voting to achieve the race to make Bakh a success, which immediately wins the overall majority in secret voting with 49 of the 97 votes available.
He defeated Juan Antonio Samrahan Junior in second place, Spaniereard won 28 votes. The UK’s Sebastian Coa, the leading days for votes, were considered one of the front runners in the leading days, a distant third with only eight votes.
The remaining handful of Vote French David Laptanant, Jordan’s Prince Ficle, Swedish -born Johanni and Japan’s Morinari Watanbe.
A beaming covantry told its fellow IOC members at the luxury pre -seses resort in Southwestern Peloponies, Greece, “This is not just a great honor, but it reminds me of my commitment to each of you that I will take this organization with so proudly.”
He said, “I will be very proud to all of you, and hopefully with you the choice you like, thank you from under my heart,” she said.
Covantry said that she now wants to bring all the candidates together.
“I am going to sit with President Bakh. We are going to have a few months for a handover acquisition. And what I want to focus on is bringing all the candidates together. There were many good thoughts and exchange in the last six months.
“Look at the IOC and our Olympic movement and family and decide how we are going to move forward in the future. What we want to focus in the first six months? I have some ideas, but a part of my campaign was listening to members of IOC and listening to what they want to say and hear how we want to walk together.”
Demonstration of unity
The first round of covantry was a show of unity in the landslide body, she said.
“It is extremely important that we should have a united front and we have to work together. We do not and we cannot always agree, but we should be able to come together for the betterment of movement.”
Seven -time Olympic medalist, Coventry won 200m backstroke gold at the 2004 Athens Games and then four years later in Beijing.
It was added to the IOC athletes’ Commission in 2012, and his choice for the top job indicates a new era for IOC, with expectations that she would bring a new approach to suppress issues such as athlete rights, gender debate and stability of sports.
A champion of sports development in Africa, Covantry, has promised to expand the Olympic partnership and ensure that sports be relevant to young generations.
He has also inherited a complex task of navigating relations with global sports associations and sponsors, maintaining the financial stability of the IOC, which has greatly rely on its multibibilian-dollars and sponsorship deals.
As she takes hull, the global sports community must be looking closely to see how Coventry shapes the future of the world’s largest multi-sport organization.
While his election was widely popular among the IOC family, the Zimbabwe government was disqualified among some quarters at his link, for which he serves as a minister of youth, sports, art and entertainment, a situation that has raised eyebrows in view of Zimbabwe’s problematic history with political freedom.
The country has faced restrictions from the United States and the European Union. The prolonged recognition of Coventry in Zimbabwe, where he was awarded a $ 100,000 prize by former President Robert Mugabe for his success in the Beijing Olympics in 2008, adds more complexity. Mugabe was in power for 37 years before overthrowing the military -backed coup in 2017.
Although Coventry has attempted to separate himself from political matters, his ministerial role and controversial issues in relations with Zimbabwe’s leadership as they step under the leadership of the world’s most powerful sports organization.
On Thursday, however, she was all smiling.
Athens in 2004, the champion, re -victorious in Pilos – shows no signal of its golden touch in Greece.
“Greece seems to be my lucky charm,” she smiled.
