- Featured
- No Comment
INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: Zimbabwe’s Coventry welcomed as new IOC chief in Lausanne ceremony
By Agencies
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach summed up his 12-year run as one of the most consequential leaders in the history of the modern Olympic Movement by welcoming his successor, Zimbabwean swim star Kirsty Coventry, in an elegant, hour-long ceremony at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Coventry, a double Olympic champion in swimming from Zimbabwe (2004, 2008), was elected as the 10th IOC President at the 144th IOC Session this March in Olympia, Greece.
She is the first woman and the first African ever to hold the IOC’s highest office and has been elected for a term of eight years.
Bach symbolically passed the key for Olympic House from one Olympic champion to another in a moment of historical significance.
“Today is a day of joy. The joy of passing the torch to a new generation. On this Olympic Day, a new chapter opens before us, full of opportunities, carried by fresh energy and renewed purpose,” he said.
“This is the moment to celebrate the enduring vitality of our shared mission, entrusted to us 131 years ago on this very day by our founder, Pierre de Coubertin.
The key, designed by Spanish artist André Ricard, who also created the torch of the Olympic Games Barcelona 1992 and the Olympic fire crucible at the Olympic Museum, was first passed during the handover from Juan Antonio Samaranch to Jacques Rogge in 2001.
“She has a new voice, that resonates with a new generation. This is why I say, full of confidence. From tomorrow on, with Kirsty Coventry, the Olympic Movement will be in the best of hands.
“This is why I am at peace. This is why my heart of full of gratitude, full of confidence, full of joy.”
More than 700 assembled guests – including IOC Members, athletes, Olympic Movement representatives, delegates from international organisations, political leaders and IOC staff – witnessed an emotional ceremony. When the key was handed over, the audience rose for a standing ovation.
Coventry’s 10-minute remarks recalled her path from a young swimmer in Zimbabwe to the Olympic Games and now to the presidency, thanked those who have helped and mentored her along the way and looked to the future:
“How lucky are we? We get to work on creating a platform that is going to allow for generations to come, to allow for them to reach their dreams. It’s amazing. It’s incredible. And I can’t believe that in 1992, when I had the dream of going to the Olympic Games and winning a gold medal for Zimbabwe, that I’d be standing here with all of you, getting to make those dreams come true for more young people around the world. …
“We are the guardians of this incredible platform. And it’s not just about a multi-sport event. It’s a platform to inspire. It’s a platform to change lives. And it’s a platform to bring hope.”
She gave a final honor to Bach, awarding the rarely-bestowed Olympic Order in Gold; he will remain as IOC President through the end of the day on Monday. Coventry will be President as of 24 June 2025.
And she will be busy, as she has convened the IOC membership for a day-and-a-half “Pause and Reflect” program to discuss their shared path forward – including the many suggestions made by the other Presidential candidates – and then an IOC Executive Board meeting on Wednesday and Thursday.