In a historic election held at a seaside resort in Greece’s Peloponnese region, Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe secured the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Coventry achieved an outright majority in the first round of secret balloting, surpassing notable candidates such as Britain’s Sebastian Coe, Spain’s Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., France’s David Lappartient, Jordan’s Prince Feisal, Sweden’s Johan Eliasch, and Japan’s Morinari Watanabe. As the first African woman to lead the IOC, Coventry faces challenges including managing escalating costs of hosting the Olympics, navigating geopolitical tensions, and adapting to evolving global sports governance.
