PuraVida Sports

In Part One of this ground-breaking, four-part, one-one-one interview series, Zimbabwean legend opens up on family, motherhood, youth, political journey and new status after being elected as the new President of the International Olympic Committee

By Elias Makori in Costa Navarino, Greece

The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the most powerful person in global sport, dining at the table of Kings and Heads of State.

In fact, the IOC’s finances are healthier than those of many nations, with revenues coming into the Olympic body’s Lausanne headquarters in Switzerland higher than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of at least 40 global nations.

The IOC’s commercial revenues for the 2021-2024 Olympic cycle stood at $7.7 billion with the Olympic Movement having redistributed an equivalent of $4.7 million every day to help athletes and sports organisations around the world, according to accounts released at the IOC’s 144^th session in Costa Navarino, Greece, last week.

For the “Olympiad” period of 2029-2032, the IOC has already ringfenced $6.9 billion, with a further $4 billion for the 2033-2036 cycle.

In 2024, the IOC raked in $4.1 billion, with $3.3 billion from television broadcast rights and $871 million from marketing rights, ranking it more financially sound than some low GDP nations like Burundi ($3 billion), The Gambia (2.69 billion) or Central African Republic ($2.81 billion).

In fact, IOC’s revenues last year alone can run the world’s smallest economy of Tuvalu (projected $79 million GDP in 2025) for 50 years!

That’s why when an IOC President walks into the room, the intimidating aura of opulence and power is immediately felt…

But not so for IOC President-elect Kirsty Coventry. At least not for now.

Elected as the first woman, first African and at 41 years, the youngest President in the IOC’s 131-year history, the Zimbabwean Olympic champion’s demeanor is as disarming. Humbling. At least for now.

Exclusive sit-down interview

Pura Vida Media Limited – the only African media house covering the IOC’s 144^th Session and elections at the Greek resort of Costa Navarino – was fortunate to have gained a sit-down, 47-minute interview with the ground-breaking, glass ceiling-shattering Coventry who opened up on her childhood, family life, political challenges and newfound status as the most powerful person in global sport, and one of the world’s most powerful women. 

Coventry’s amazing sporting journey started when she looked up to Zimbabwe’s heroes competing at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics diving competition.

As a young swimmer, she then played the role of call room flower girl in the swimming programme of the 1995 All African Games in Harare, at which I, incidentally, was assigned to cover for the Daily Nation as a fresh-faced 24-year-old reporter.

As a 12-year-old at the time, Coventry watched Zimbabwe’s golden girls – including Mandy Leach, Tanya Gurr, Linnell Tannock. Shelly Dodd, Teresa Moodie and Kirsten Smith – get onto the Harare medal podium.

It was at these games that South African legend Penny Haynes – one of the world’s greatest ever breaststroke swimmers – announced her grand entry, winning gold medals in the 100 and 200 metres backstroke and 4×100 medley in the Harare pool.

Haynes, South Africa’s first post-Apartheid Olympic Games gold medalist, was to then become the only woman in the history of the Olympic Games to have won both 100m and 200m breaststroke competitions at a single Olympic Games, at the 1996 Atlanta edition.

Coventry was a kits girl at the competition pool in the leafy Harare suburb of Mt Pleasant for the duration of the games that were officially opened by then IOC President, Spain’s Juan Antonio Samaranch, whose son Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior was among the field the 41-year-old Coventry floored at last week’s IOC elections.

Samaranch Senior served as the seventh IOC President from 1980 stepping down in 2001 before his death at the age of 90 nine years later in 2010.

Coventry warded off Samaranch Junior and five other – male – contestants at the 144^th IOC Session by garnering a majority 49 of the possible 97 votes at the “House of Events” at Costa Navarino, a surprise Round One winner.

Samaranch Junior garnered 28 votes, World Athletics President and Olympic track legend Seb Coe eight as Frenchman David Lappartient and Japan’s Morinare Watanabe had four each and Swedish-British Johan Eliash and Jordan’s Prince Feisal Al Hussein garnered two apiece.

Born, raised in Zimbabwe

“I was born and raised in Zimbabwe. My grandfather and mum taught me how to swim and when I was two years old, and when I was six years old, I joined my first swim club. I loved being in the pool and being in the water,” Coventry flashed back at the specially-organised interview at Costa Navarino resort’s “House of Events”, a day after ascending the IOC throne.

Interestingly, Coventry was not just a great swimmer as she was also good in field hockey, tennis and also ran cross-country.

“We had no indoor swimming pools, so during the winter it was all these other sports that were the main focus to stay fit and healthy.”

Her love for swimming deepened in 1992 when, as a nine-year-old, she watched the Barcelona ’92 Olympic Games, following Zimbabwe’s team of four swimmers and two divers and was awe-struck by the scenic competition venue.

It was an outdoor pool and the background were the hills… it was picturesque and something about it caught my eye and I said to my parents: ‘I wanna go to the Olympic Games one day and win Zimbabwe a gold medal’

I’m very lucky that I have very supportive parents. They just smiled and said ‘Ok, but it’s gonna take a lot of hard work and sacrifice and you are really gonna have to wake up very early’…. I was super excited that they thought this was a great idea.”

Competitive spirit

“I was always very competitive growing up. I was banned from playing card games with my family because I didn’t like to lose!

But swimming for me, out of all these sports, just really became a bit of a safe haven for me – I was not an ‘A’ student but in the pool, I was able to really find who I was and leverage off of that, and that led me to qualifying for my first Olympic Games in Sydney. 

I was 16 and celebrated my 17^th birthday in Sydney and that was an incredible moment getting to go to those Games… 

Swimming in Australia is huge and it was a little bit daunting, coming all the way from Zimbabwe, walking onto that pool deck and there are 14,000 (spectator) seats in that pool, and getting to watch Suzie O’Neill (“Madame Butterfly” O’Neill won eight Olympic Games medals during her swimming career), Grant Hackett (won three Olympic and 17 World Championships gold medals) and other great Australians who were dominating the pool at that time.”

But Coventry’s highlight at the Sydney Olympics was not in the pool, but at the Olympic Village dining hall where an embarrassment of celebrity sportspeople would congregate.

Muhammed Ali’s inspiration

And one incident in particular remains most memorable.

“There was a hive of activity (at the dining hall) and I wandered on to see what was happening… and it was Muhammad Ali and I was like ‘this is incredible! It’s an incredible moment!

I think it took us three hours to get to the gate because there were so many of us around him and, again, it just lit something inside me and that led me to 2004 when we were here in Athens and I got to win my first Olympic medals. 

Standing on the podium was surreal thinking of my dream when I was a nine year old and I’m 21 and I’ve finally achieved my goal and my dream…

It was at a time where there was an internal struggle in Zimbabwe and I didn’t quite know what to expect when I went home, but I remember landing at home and the airplane had to stop short of going into the gate because there were so many people that had come out to meet me.

All Zimbabweans came just out to say ‘thank you’, and ‘we are proud’. It was incredible to witness and be part of seeing how powerful sport can be to break down barriers and to bring people together even, when they were disagreeing and not getting along.

When I gave my presentation (for IOC Presidency) to the members in January, I shared some of these stories with them and told them this is part of why I chose to run, because it’s not something I’ve just said, of the transformative power of sport, but I’ve actually lived it and I’ve seen it and I believe in it.

I believe that especially in today’s world, our world is so divided and I think the Olympic Movement can allow for a way to bridge these gaps and to build back trust within communities and to showcase the best of humanity.

That (Athens Olympics success) then led me to get a scholarship in the United States, and to get educated in university and to qualify for the Beijing Olympics where I was thankful to be successful again (with three silver medals) and continued on to London (2012 Olympics – sixth in the 200m individual medley) and finally in Rio (2016 Olympics – sixth in the 200m backstroke, 11^th in 100m backstroke) where I decided to hung up the suit being the oldest athlete in the field by quite a bit (at 33 years)… 

Part Two tomorrow: Coventry speaks about her entry into Government as Zimbabwe’s Minister for Sport