Kirsty Coventry, the newly elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was greeted with a hero’s welcome upon her return to Zimbabwe on Sunday.
Her election marks a historic moment as she becomes the first woman and first African to lead the global Olympic movement.
Coventry, 41, who also serves as Zimbabwe’s sports minister, won the election in Greece on Thursday, defeating six other candidates, including prominent leaders from international athletics and cycling.
At the welcoming ceremony at Harare’s Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, traditional dancers in animal fur kilts and feathered headgear performed to trumpets and drums.
A crowd of well-wishers, including female athletes and young children, cheered Coventry’s accomplishment.
“It’s not just my success, it is our success. We broke down barriers,” Coventry said, highlighting the significance of her victory for both women in sports and her country.
Coventry, an Olympic champion swimmer and Africa’s most decorated Olympian, retired after the 2016 Rio Olympics with seven medals.
Her leadership as sports minister since 2018 has drawn both praise and criticism, with some questioning her political ties.
Despite the controversy, her election has been widely celebrated in Zimbabwe as a moment of national pride.
Coventry will resign from her ministerial role to begin her eight-year term as IOC president in June.
Her leadership comes at a pivotal time for the IOC, with pressing issues such as athletes’ rights, Russia’s suspension, and gender eligibility shaping the future of the Olympic Games.
