Kirsty Coventry has promised to change lives and inspire hope during an official ceremony to mark her taking over from Thomas Bach as president of theInternational Olympic Committee.
The 41-year-old from Zimbabwe, who in March became the first woman and the first African to be elected to themost powerful job in sports politics, also paid tribute to the strong women in her life as she was given the golden key to the IOC by Bach.
“We are guardians of the Olympic movement,” Coventry said in her address to IOC members and other stakeholders. “And it’s not just about a multi-sport event. It’s a platform to inspire. It’s a platform to change lives. And it’s a platform to bring hope.”
Reflecting on how her life had also been changed by the Olympics, Coventry said: “I was very fortunate to have strong women around me from a very early age, from my grandmothers to my mom, to many of you women here in this room today, to my coach, Kim.”
But Coventry, who will hold a two-day workshop this week to get feedback on key IOC issues, also warned members that they needed to remain united.
“The other day my six-year-old, Ella, pointed out a spider’s web in the garden. And she was pointing out how it is made, how strong it is, and how resilient it is against the bad weather, against the other little creatures. But if one tiny, little piece of that spider web breaks, it automatically becomes weakened.
“Each and every single one of you is that spider web. It’s complex, it’s beautiful, and it’s strong. But it only works if we work together and if we remain united.
“Keeping united our movement will ensure and will allow for all of us that we can wake up daily and continue to inspire the next generation to continue to change lives. And most importantly, to make dreams come true.”
Coventry, who won 200m backstroke gold at the 2004 Athens Games and in Beijing four years later, was also given Bach’s blessing at the event in Lausanne. “With Kirsty Coventry, the Olympic movement will be in the best of hands,” he said.
“As an Olympian, she knows what it means to live the Olympic values. She knows how to lead with courage. She is driven by a desire to give back to our Olympic movement that has shaped her life. Now she makes history.”