The race to elect the 10th president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is reaching its decisive stage with no clear frontrunner, and IOC members prepare to cast their ballots on Thursday.
The new IOC president will be elected at the 144th IOC Session which opened on Tuesday in Ancient Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games.
The main proceedings are taking place from Wednesday to Friday at Costa Navarino, a coastal resort in southwestern Greece.
Incumbent IOC President Thomas Bach will step down in June after serving a maximum 12-year term.
With over 100 ballots set to be cast, the election will follow a secret ballot system. If no candidate secures an absolute majority in the first round, the lowest-scoring candidate will be eliminated, triggering another round of voting. The process will continue until one candidate emerges victorious.
The winner will serve an eight-year term, with the next IOC presidential election scheduled for 2033.
The seven candidates include IOC Vice President Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., Zimbabwe's Olympic swimming champion and sports minister Kirsty Coventry, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) President David Lappartient, International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) President Johan Eliasch, IOC Executive Board Member Prince Feisal Al Hussein, and International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) President Morinari Watanabe.
Despite media speculation, no candidate appears to have an outright advantage, making this one of the most unpredictable IOC elections in recent history.
Lappartient, 51, expects the race to go deep into the voting rounds.
"It's difficult to predict, to be honest. Because there is probably -- it's a little different from last time or the previous editions. It's more of an open race, so really difficult to predict," he said.
As the final hours before the election unfold, discussions continue behind closed doors. Candidates are making their last efforts to appeal to undecided voters, and IOC members are weighing their choices carefully.
During the session, outgoing president Bach was named honorary IOC president for life.
IOC presidential election enters final stretch as uncertainty looms
Kirsty Coventry was elected as the 10th president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday, making history as the first woman and the first African to lead the global Olympic movement.
The election was conducted through a secret ballot by over 100 IOC members during the 144th IOC Session in Greece. The 41-year-old Zimbabwean, who won the vote in the first round, will officially take office after June 23, succeeding Thomas Bach, who has served as president since 2013.
In the first round of voting, a total of 97 valid ballots were cast since IOC members from a candidate's National Olympic Committee (NOC) were not eligible to vote. Coventry received 49 votes, securing the majority from the valid votes needed for the election. Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. finished second with 28 votes.
Coventry's presidency is set for an eight-year term, with the possibility of seeking a four-year extension.
At the first press conference after her election, Coventry highlighted that the bond between the international sports governing body and China is very strong, and she vows to strengthen the relationships with every single member.
"The relationship between the IOC and China is very strong, it always has been and we will continue that way. For the IOC, we represent 206 national Olympic Committees and many different international federations so the relationships with every single individual is extremely important. And that would be something I would take my time with over the next few months, then again also with the IOC members. So the entire stakeholder group will be able to take time to really get to know each other and to strengthen on those relationships," Coventry said.
A former Olympic swimming champion, Coventry is one of Africa's most decorated athletes, having won seven Olympic medals, including two golds. She has been an IOC member since 2013 and also served as chair of the IOC Athletes' Commission, where she played a crucial role in advocating for athletes' rights and welfare.
"I would like to congratulate Mrs. Kirsty Coventry for her election as the 10th president of the IOC. I think she will have a very strong mandate with this clear winning of the first round, which is also giving a great signal of unity for the Olympic movement," Bach said after the election.
Other candidates also expressed their support for Coventry's leadership.
"It will give her a very very strong, extremely strong support from the IOC membership to start her presidency. So I think it's a good result," said Samaranch Jr.
"About the next step is to work with the president, so I congratulate Kirsty Coventry, she has done an amazing campaign. The result is clear, so I just told her that we will be behind her," said David Lappartient, another candidate.
Coventry has served as Zimbabwe's Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts, and Recreation since 2018, where she has focused on developing grassroots sports initiatives and enhancing opportunities for young people across the country to engage in sports.
The 144th IOC Session also saw the election of Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant as new vice president and the confirmation of boxing as part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics program.
Kirsty Coventry becomes first female and first African IOC president
