Collin Matiza
Sports Editor
KIRSTY Coventry cemented her status as one of the most influential sports personalities in the world when she was elected to the International Olympic Committee Executive Board in Mumbai, India, on Monday.
This came a few weeks after Coventry, who is the Minister of Sport in Zimbabwe, was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States.
Elections for the two open positions were held separately at the end of the second day, with Coventry withdrawing from the first vote to enable Prince Feisal to secure a second term with 71 votes for and eight against, with three abstentions.
Prince Feisal has been an IOC member since 2010.
Coventry was unopposed for the second Executive Board position, elected by 71 votes to nine, with two abstentions.
Coventry is also chair of the Coordination Commissions for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics, and heading up the Games Optimisation Working Group.
She had been tipped as a likely contender to succeed Thomas Bach as IOC president in 2025, although some members at the Session have pushed for a controversial Olympic Charter amendment which would allow the incumbent to run again.
Seven members were re-elected to a fresh eight-year term in a bloc vote, although four of those will have that shortened due to rules on age limits.
El Moutawakel and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg were first elected in 1998 and Monaco’s Prince Albert II in 1995, with all three set to continue through to the end of 2031.
Ukraine’s Valeriy Borzov can serve until 2029, Sweden’s Gunilla Lindberg until 2027, Syed Shahid Ali of Pakistan until 2026 and United World Wrestling President Nenad Lalovi of Serbia until 2028.