Olympic History as Thomas Bach Passes Presidency to Kirsty Coventry

Born in Africa and educated collegiately in the United States, Kirsty Coventry made history on Monday in assuming the role of President of the International Olympic Committee, the first woman and first African to hold the role in more than a century of the IOC.

Coventry, 41, formally takes office Tuesday after winning a seven-candidate election in March to succeed Thomas Bach. Her first term at IOC president will last eight years during which four Olympic Games will be held — 2026 Winter in Italy, 2028 Summer in Los Angeles, 2030 Winter in France and the 2032 Summer Games in Brisbane.

The ceremony took place in a temporary building in the gardens of Olympic House designed in the style of the Grand Palais in Paris that hosted fencing and taekwondo at the Games last year.

“I am really honored I get to walk this journey with you,” Coventry said. “I cannot wait for anything that lies ahead. I know I have the best team to support me and our movement over the next eight years.”

When Coventry was born in 1983, the IOC had only three women in its organization and was only two years removed from having been an entire male IOC membership. Today, there are 48 women among the 110 IOC members.

Coventry is an Olympic swimming champion who competed collegiately at Auburn University. A seven-time Olympic medalist who won gold in the 200-meter backstroke in 2004 in Athens and 2008 in Beijing, Coventry was the second female candidate to run for president, following American Anita DeFrantz in 2001.

The first Games in which Coventry will oversee is next winter in Italy with preparations underway in Milan and Cortina. However, the 2028 Games in Los Angeles have been foisted as a potential political landmine for the IOC. It will fall in the final months of President Donald Trump’s second term with recent controversy over travel bans for countries that would be part of the Games.

With Games already awarded in 2030 (Winter, French Alps), 2032 (Summer, Brisbane) and 2034 (Winter, Salt Lake City), Coventry will oversee the process of looking for a host for the 2036 Summer Games; India has been repeatedly mentioned by IOC insiders as a likely candidate for targeted dialogue with an eye toward being given host duties.

Coventry will hold a two-day workshop this week to get feedback from members.

“Working together and consistently finding ways to strengthen and keep united our movement that will ensure that we wake up daily… to continue to inspire,” she said.

Bach’s 12-year tenure as president was marked by a global pandemic, the hosting of Games that had less-than-stellar television ratings within the United States and a top-down approach to the role of IOC president that sometimes members chafed under.

His reign also ended on a high as the Olympic movement was revitalized last summer with what was universally regarded as a tremendous 2024 Games in Paris, which came close to perfection in executing Bach’s Olympic Legacy 2020 project in organizing a Games that did not result in massive budgetary venue overruns, instead brilliantly mixing the city’s historic locations and turning them into a series of temporary sports venues.

“I believe with all my heart that the Olympic movement is ready for the future,” said Bach on Monday, adding he had “given all I could” to the IOC and the games.