SPORTS minister Kirsty Coventry’s grassroots appeal and focus on inclusivity and innovation have set her apart in her promising run to lead the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Coventry, Africa’s most celebrated Olympian, is also making history with her bid to become the first female president of the Switzerland headquartered IOC.
Should she succeed in next month’s eagerly anticipated election, Coventry will also become the youngest IOC president, and the first to hail from outside Europe or North America.
In this regard, the Sports minister — who won seven Olympic medals, including two golds, during her illustrious swimming career — is aiming to challenge the status quo of the 130-year-old international sports governing body of the Olympic Games.
The 41-year-old’s bold campaign, which promises focus on gender equity and plans to modernise the Olympic movement, has placed her as a serious contender in a field that includes high-profile candidates like Sebastian Coe.
“I want to show people and women across Africa and the world, ‘Don’t be afraid of anything’. “It’s time for women in Africa to stand up and lead, to not be afraid of leading, and to not be afraid of leading in a different way,” Coventry told BBC Sport Africa.
Her vision for the IOC revolves around empowering female athletes and leveraging technology to make the Olympic Games more inclusive and globally accessible.
She has already had leadership training as Zimbabwe’s minister of Sport, Arts, and Recreation since 2018, and as the chair of IOC commissions overseeing major events such as the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics. One of Coventry’s key proposals is to embrace emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and online streaming.
She envisions AI as a tool to provide athletes — particularly those from Africa — with better access to training resources, healthcare and nutrition. Her focus on digital transformation also extends to audience engagement.
Coventry cited the NFL’s streaming success on platforms like Netflix as an example of how the Olympics could remain relevant to younger viewers and attract new revenue streams. “I do believe that if we can open up opportunities in these new areas, we create more fans which should, in turn, bring new revenue opportunities,” she said.
Coe, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and the president of World Athletics, is considered one of the front-runners due to his extensive experience in global sports governance. However, Coventry’s grassroots appeal and focus on inclusivity have set her apart.
Her commitment to tackling genderbased violence, introducing stronger safeguards for female athletes, and supporting mothers participating in the Olympics could resonate with voters seeking a change from traditional IOC leadership.
Unlike some of her rivals, Coventry has rejected the idea of offering prize money at the Olympics, arguing that such funds would benefit only a select few.
Instead, she wants to prioritise programmes that provide better access to training, health and mental health support for athletes worldwide. “How do we ensure that Olympians, or prospective Olympians and athletes from around the world get better access to sport, to training, to health and mental health support? Those are the programmes that I would like to focus on,” she stated. — Pulse Sports