Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe has officially taken over as president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). She succeeds German Thomas Bach, making her the first woman and the first African to lead the IOC.
At the handover ceremony in Lausanne, Bach symbolically handed over the helm to Coventry, who was elected to the position three months ago, on March 20 in Greece.
At just 41 years old, the tenth IOC president begins an eight-year term, with the possibility of extending it for another four, and plans to hold consultations with a hundred members on Tuesday and Wednesday to present the organization's "new roadmap." Officially, Bach will remain in office until midnight on Monday.
"When I was nine years old, I never would have thought that I would be here in front of you and have the opportunity to give back to our incredible movement what it gave me," the seven-time Olympic swimming champion, who beat six opponents in the first round of voting, said in March.
Bach, who is leaving the IOC after 12 years in office, said Coventry's election "sent a strong message to the world." She joined the athletes' commission in 2013 and today symbolizes the IOC's transformation from an elite club of aristocrats and Western leaders into a global and more gender-equal organization.
"It reflects the truly global nature of our movement and its orientation towards young people," Bach said at the ceremony, which took place in a sign of mutual respect.
"We have an athlete at the head of the organization. That's a good thing," said Briton Sebastian Coe, who was one of Coventry's rivals, pointing out that she symbolizes the strengthening of the political influence of former champions.
Coventry, according to Jean-Loup Chappell, a professor at the University of Lausanne and an expert on Olympism, "could be the president of major reforms" in terms of financial support for athletes "not only Olympians, but also those who want to become one."
After Thomas Bach's twelve-year term, the IOC leaves in good financial shape: the hosts of the Olympic Games have been chosen until 2034, and the TV broadcast contract with NBC Universal has been secured until 2036.
Coventry now needs to quickly build her own distinctive approach, although she was reserved and without concrete proposals during the election campaign. A particular challenge will be the issue of reintroducing chromosome sex tests in women's competitions, which is being insisted on by World Athletics and the new World Boxing Federation.
Asked about this in March, Coventry promised "protection for female athletes," without commenting on the status of transgender and intersex competitors, and announced the formation of a "working group" that would make a "joint decision."
A new challenge for her will be the status of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina. It is certain that, without long-term peace in Ukraine, their participation could still be limited to neutral events with strict conditions, like Paris 2024.
Diplomatically, Coventry also faces the task of building relations with US President Donald Trump, whose country is hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
In addition to the financial model and climate impact, which remain existential challenges for the IOC, Coventry and its organization will also have to make a decision on the host of the 2036 Summer Games. India, South Africa, Turkey, Hungary, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have expressed interest in the competition.
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