Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
Ian Chadband

Kirsty Coventry elected as first female Olympics chief

Kirsty Coventry has declared she's shattered a century-old glass ceiling as she hoped her election as the first female and first African president of the International Olympic Committee would be "an inspiration to many people".

Defeating the challenge of half-a-dozen 50-and-60-something men, the 41-year-old former Zimbabwean swim star, Africa's most decorated Olympian, dealt all the traditional old male guard an extraordinary knock-out blow while becoming the youngest holder of the biggest job in global sport.

The Zimbabwe sports minister and former Olympic swimming champ enjoyed a shock first-round win in the 97 IOC members' secret ballot in Greece on Thursday (Friday AEDT) as she received 49 votes in the first round, while her opponents mustered 48 between them.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.