Former Zimbabwean Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry, 41, was today elected as the new Olympics chief, pipping Lord Sebastian Coe and Juan Antonio Samaranch to the position.
The election means Ms Coventry has become both the first female and first African ever to have held the prestigious role with the IOC – making her what is commonly dubbed ‘the most powerful person in sport’.
But the 41-year-old, who recently backed a blanket ban for transgender athletes across all female categories and Olympic sports, is set to be grilled over her involvement on the participation of two female fighters in the Paris games last year.
Ms Coventry was part of the IOC executive board which approved the rules for the tournament where two fighters – Imane Khelif and Lin Yu Ting – won gold despite the International Boxing Association alleging they failed to meet gender eligibility.
The IBA’s ruling meant the fighters were disqualified from the 2023 World Championships, but the IOC board which featured Ms Coventry approved their controversial participation in the 2024 Olympics.
The newly-elected president was today asked on about her stance on transgender competitors under her leadership for the future, and said she wants to ‘protect’ female athletes.
‘My stance is we will protect the female category and female athletes,’ she said.