Kirsty Coventry has been elected 10th president of the the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with an all-members Session vote Thursday in Costa Navarino, Greece. She defeated six rivals in the hotly contested race that will help define an organization at its crossroads.
Despite predictions for a close race that may have taken several ballots for a candidate to receive a majority, only a single ballot was required to elect the president. Coventry received 49 of 97 cast votes, the exact minimum required to win the ballot.
Two other candidates were considered contenders including Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch who ran second with 28 votes and World Athletics President Sebastion Coe third with 8 votes.
Also in the running were Jordanian Olympic Committee president Prince Feisal Al Hussein (2 votes), International Cycling Federation president David Lappartient (4 votes), International Ski Federation President Johan Eliasch (2 votes) and International Gymnastics Federation president Morinari Watanabe (4 votes).
“Now we’ve got some work together,” Coventry said in remarks following Bach’s announcement that she had been elected.
“This race was an incredible race, and it made us better.”
Coventry, 41 from Zimbabwe, was the youngest person and only female in this race. She is a multi-decorated Olympic swim champion and a member of the IOC Executive Board after rising in the organization as chair of the Athletes’ Commission.
Coventry is said to have been unofficially endorsed by president Bach and will likely build upon his ideals of Agenda 2020. That might include keeping the Olympic bid process much like it is now. She will secure the reigns of the organization on June 23 following the planned resignation of current president Thomas Bach.
More to come…
