Kirsty Coventry becomes first IOC president to be female or African

CGTN Europe

Groundbreaking Olympics chief – a multiple medalist in her swimming career – beats off competition from male rivals. #olympics  Read more ⬇️ https://tinyurl.com/2pehjacn

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00:00It is a historic day here in Kostas Navarino, Greece.

00:06It is the election of the new IOC president,

00:10the International Olympic Committee,

00:12and it is Christi Coverti, a woman.

00:15First time in history that a woman is taking that position

00:19of the highest body in sports worldwide.

00:24But there's another barrier that was broken today.

00:27Not only that of a woman being elected,

00:29but also the first African to take place,

00:33to take the seat in the highest body of sports worldwide.

00:38It is a historic day.

00:39There's a lot of tension.

00:41There's a lot of emotions from the other candidates as well

00:45who have come out and spoken to us,

00:47saying how they feel about the elections and how the outcome is.

00:52One thing is for sure that they do feel sad that they did not get elected,

00:56but they do feel confident and happy that they will stand behind the new president.

01:02Now, the new president, Christi Coverti from Zimbabwe,

01:05she is an athlete.

01:07She was an athlete herself, gold medalist in Athens and in Beijing,

01:11a very prominent figure in sports,

01:14and now she is the head of the IOC.

01:18A lot on her plate, a lot to tackle,

01:21taking the legacy of Thomas Bach.

01:23But the day where she got elected on Thursday here in Costa Navarino

01:29is a celebration, but also a monumental day for sports.

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