by Deji Ogeyingbo
Editor’s note: The new president of the IOC, Kirsty Coventry, has visited the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee, which is in Lausanne, Switzerland. Stuart Weir provided this piece for us.
The victory of Kirsty Coventry is a massive victory for Thomas Bach, the current IOC President. The truth is that none of the candidates had a real chance after Mr. Bach decided that he wanted to add to his legacy with Ms. Coventry but also to protect the status quo. Mr. Bach was able to control real politik, situations where Juan Antonio Samaranch, Jr. and Seb Coe were gold medalists.
Like a veteran miler, Thomas Bach controlled the entire race, much to the consternation of the other candidates. Bach is a consummate sports politician. His talents were misunderstood and totally underestimated.
New IOC President arrives in Lausanne
The newly elected President of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry, has arrived in Lausanne. Addressing the IOC staff, she said:
“Wow. This is going to be etched in my memory for a long time. I am incredibly humbled to be here. As a nine-year-old girl, I did not think I’d ever be standing here getting the opportunity to give back to this Movement and to work with all of you to ensure that other nine-year-olds realize their dreams.
“So I’m truly very excited about the next eight years and what that looks like for all of us. Part of my campaign was the Ubuntu philosophy of ‘I am because we are’, which will be the foundation of everything we do. So I’m truly just grateful and honored to be here and really looking forward to making other nine-year-olds dreams come true from around the world. So let’s do it. Thank you”.
