Who is Kirsty Coventry and how did she become the most powerful person in world sports?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has elected a woman as its president for the first time ever. Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry is also the youngest ever IOC president and the first from an African country, becoming a symbol of the IOC’s drive to diversify its leadership and image.

Sports management scholar Davies Banda was part of a global research team that compiled an IOC-commissioned report on the roles of women in the organisation. He traces Coventry’s journey as a swimming star, politician and sports administrator.

Who is Kirsty Coventry?

She is Africa’s most decorated Olympian of all time. She won seven medals across the 2004 Athens Games and the 2008 Beijing Games.

Born in Harare, she is not only Zimbabwe’s best known sports star but also the politically troubled country’s sports minister. The IOC presidency makes her one of the most powerful figures in world sports.

Coventry is driven. She set her sights on the Olympics at the age of nine. She achieved her dream through hard work and a profound understanding of what a results-oriented athletic career looks like. She believes true success lies in sharing knowledge and skills, extending her impact beyond athletics into social activism and a political career in Zimbabwe.

Her Olympic journey began at the 2000 Sydney Games, where she competed in two swimming events but failed to qualify for the finals. Her breakthrough happened at the 2004 Athens Games, where she won the first of her two gold medals in the 200-metre backstroke. She successfully defended this title at the 2008 Beijing Games.

She retired from swimming competitively after her final Olympic appearance at the 2016 Rio Games, holding the joint record for the most individual women’s swimming medals in Olympic history. By then her sports administration dreams had begun to pay off.

In 2012 she was elected to the IOC’s powerful Athletes’ Commission. Thanks to her extensive experience of being an Olympic athlete, she became a significant voice within the body. She was elected chair of the commission in 2018 and held the post until 2023, when she was elected to the IOC’s executive committee under Thomas Bach, also a former athlete and the outgoing IOC president.

At the same time, Coventry transitioned into government service as an independent member of parliament in Zimbabwe. She was first appointed as the country’s Minister of Sport, Art and Recreation in 2018, and re-appointed in 2023.

She’s a member of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, previously serving as its vice president. She’s also a member of the Athletes’ Commission of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa.

Why has it taken so long to have a female president?

In 1997 the IOC set targets for National Olympic Committees to achieve at least 10% female representation in executive decision-making positions by the end of 2000. This was followed by a goal of at least 20% by 2005 and 30% by 2020.

The IOC reported that female representation on its commissions doubled between 2013 and 2023, reaching 50% by the latter year.

These deliberate measures can be seen as foundational to Coventry’s election. Globally, National Olympic Committees have seen a rise in female executive board members and leaders, increasing the pool of qualified candidates. An IOC report highlighted co-mentoring of female members on a governance leadership development initiative.

Policies promoting the recognition of women’s leadership in sport and communities have nurtured leaders capable of competing for the highest IOC roles.

However, considering that women were first allowed to participate in the 1900 Paris Games, it’s taken 124 years to see the election of a female IOC president.

Despite the extended time frame, the IOC’s progressive initiatives, particularly its gender equality targets, have yielded tangible results.

Some observers believe that Bach’s legacy, particularly in promoting gender equality, will be continued by Coventry, given their shared values and aspirations for the Olympic movement.

What would a female president bring to Olympic sports?

There is a drive for gender equality in Olympic sport. Coventry’s extensive experience as an athlete representative and her continued involvement with the Athletes’ Commission provide her with a deep understanding of athletes’ concerns. These include gender eligibility, a threat to the integrity of the Games due to doping, climate change, and athlete advocacy.

Her relatively young age, 41, further strengthens her connection with athletes, the Olympic Games’ most valuable stakeholders, who are much younger than the administrators. This unique perspective allows her to engage with athletes in ways that previous IOC leaders could not. Her predecessors were close to or past their 60th birthdays when elected.

So she is also likely to connect with younger generations more effectively than her predecessors, through modern technologies.

Coventry is poised to lead the Olympic movement’s focus on sport for social change, given her experience of life in the global south, where she has been a social activist for underprivileged youth.

The substantial growth of sport-for-change initiatives in the global south and beyond fuels the hope among scholars, including myself, that sport and athlete advocacy can achieve greater visibility. It can make an impact on global challenges, moving them from the sidelines to the heart of major sporting events.

Coventry’s political career, conducted in Zimbabwe’s challenging economic climate, suggests a potential for using sport as a catalyst for positive social transformation.

That said, while she may champion athlete advocacy on certain issues, her stated commitment to neutrality, particularly regarding the games, indicates a potential reluctance to engage with politically charged issues. The IOC’s status quo, the apolitical stance of the games, is likely to continue to limit the potential impact of athlete activism.

What will be closely watched will be her approach to the contentious issue of transgender athletes in women’s events. Her current position advocates for their exclusion from female categories. She’s emphasised the protection of women’s sport and the enforcement of gender eligibility standards.

It remains to be seen how closely her policies will align with, or diverge from, those of her predecessor. But for the IOC she no doubt represents a more diverse, gender equal movement.