Beijing, April 2 (IANS) The moment Kirsty Coventry stood in front of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members in January, her words carried the weight of a lifetime spent defying limits. “I’ve lived the transformative power of sport,” she said, her voice steady but charged with the conviction of an athlete-turned-stateswoman.
Weeks later, that conviction propelled her to a historic milestone — the seven-time Olympic medalist and former Zimbabwean Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts, and Recreation was elected as the IOC’s first female and African president, securing 49 votes in a landmark decision that may reshape the 131-year-old organization.
Coventry’s journey to the pinnacle of global sport didn’t begin in boardrooms but in the sun-baked pools of Harare. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, she was taught to swim by her mother and grandfather by age two, and she joined her first swim club by six, reports Xinhua.
But it was the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, glimpsed on a grainy television screen when she was nine years old, that ignited her ambition. “I told my parents, ‘I want to go to the Olympic Games and win Zimbabwe a gold medal.’ They smiled and said, ‘It’ll take hard work and sacrifice.’ I just thought, okay.”
That relentless drive carried her to five Olympic Games. At 16, she made her Olympic debut in Sydney in 2000, wide-eyed amid a 14,000-seat arena and legends like Susie O’Neill. Four years later in Athens, she delivered on her childhood promise, clinching gold in the 200m backstroke, silver in the 100m backstroke, and bronze in the 200m individual medley, marking Zimbabwe’s first Olympic medals in swimming.
“Standing on the podium felt quite surreal. I thought of that nine-year-old girl. Now 21, I finally achieved my goal and my dream,” she recalled, her voice softening.
Her homecoming proved how sport can unite people. Crowds swarmed Harare’s airport, forcing her plane to halt on the tarmac. “People said, ‘Thank you. We’re proud.’ It was incredible to witness how powerful sport can be to break down barriers and to bring people together.”
“This is a part of why I chose to run [for IOC presidency]. I believe in today’s divided world, the Olympic Movement can be a way to bridge gaps and to build back trust within communities and to showcase the best of humanity,” added the 41-year-old.
Yet it was Beijing 2008 that crystallised her legacy, where she claimed one gold and three silvers, and shattered two world records – a feat that still lights up her face.
“Anytime I talk about Beijing 2008, I get the biggest smile,” she shared with Xinhua. “It gave me so much.” That success became a springboard, propelling her into an IOC athlete member in 2013. “Swimmers and Olympians knew me because of Beijing. It really opened up an incredible platform for my journey.”
As an architect of change, Coventry has long focused on reshaping systems. After retiring in 2016, she launched a foundation teaching swimming and multiple other sports to Zimbabwe’s underserved youth between six and 13 and trained coaches nationwide.
Her boldest pivot came in 2018 as Zimbabwe’s Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, where she spearheaded legislation to combat match-fixing and abuse. Her tenure saw her dissolve Zimbabwe’s football federation over sexual abuse scandals, a move that triggered an 18-month FIFA suspension but earned global praise. “Was it a tough decision? No. It was the right decision,” she said.
Coventry’s transition to the IOC presidency, succeeding Thomas Bach, is already underway. “We started sharing ideas immediately with President Bach on how to navigate the next few months,” she said. “We’ll work together in making decisions.”
Her relocation to Lausanne in early April marks a new professional chapter, but the family remains her compass. For Coventry, home is not a fixed location but a shared promise. “My husband and I always agreed: it doesn’t matter where we are, as long as it’s the two of us,” she explained.
This philosophy extends to her leadership and motherhood. “I want my daughters to grow up knowing that they can be whoever they want to be and do whatever they want to achieve.”
–IANS
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