Kirsty Coventry

The Right Honourable Kirsty Coventry
Coventry at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics
President-elect of the International Olympic Committee
Assuming office 23 June 2025
Succeeding	Thomas Bach
Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation of Zimbabwe
In office 10 September 2018 – 25 March 2025
President	Emmerson Mnangagwa
Deputy	Yeukai Simbanegavi Emily Jesaya
Preceded by	Kazembe Kazembe Sithembiso Nyoni
Succeeded by	Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe
Personal details
Born	Kirsty Leigh Coventry (1983-09-16) 16 September 1983 (age 41) Harare, Zimbabwe
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Tyrone Seward ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	1
Alma mater	Auburn University (BS)
Sports career
National team	Zimbabwe
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	64 kg (141 lb; 10.1 st)
Website	KirstyCoventry.com
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Backstroke, individual medley
Club	Longhorn Aquatics
College team	Auburn University
Coach	Sharon Freeman, Dean Price, Kim Brackin, David Marsh
Medal record Women's swimming Representing  Zimbabwe Olympic Games 2004 Athens 200 m backstroke 2008 Beijing 200 m backstroke 2004 Athens 100 m backstroke 2008 Beijing 100 m backstroke 2008 Beijing 200 m medley 2008 Beijing 400 m medley 2004 Athens 200 m medley World Championships (LC) 2005 Montreal 100 m backstroke 2005 Montreal 200 m backstroke 2009 Rome 200 m backstroke 2005 Montreal 200 m medley 2005 Montreal 400 m medley 2007 Melbourne 200 m backstroke 2007 Melbourne 200 m medley 2009 Rome 400 m medley World Championships (SC) 2008 Manchester 400 m medley 2008 Manchester 100 m backstroke 2008 Manchester 200 m backstroke 2008 Manchester 200 m medley 2008 Manchester 100 m medley Commonwealth Games 2002 Manchester 200 m medley African Games 2007 Algiers 50 m freestyle 2007 Algiers 800 m freestyle 2007 Algiers 50 m backstroke 2007 Algiers 100 m backstroke 2007 Algiers 200 m backstroke 2007 Algiers 200 m medley 2007 Algiers 400 m medley 2011 Maputo 100 m backstroke 2011 Maputo 200 m backstroke 2011 Maputo 200 m medley 2011 Maputo 400 m medley 2015 Brazzaville 100 m backstroke 2015 Brazzaville 200 m backstroke 2015 Brazzaville 200 m medley 2007 Algiers 100 m breaststroke 2007 Algiers 4 × 100 m medley 2007 Algiers 4 × 200 m freestyle 2011 Maputo 100 m butterfly 2011 Maputo 4 × 100 m medley 2011 Maputo 4 × 100 m freestyle 2011 Maputo 4 × 200 m freestyle 2015 Brazzaville 4 × 100 m mixed medley

Kirsty Leigh Coventry Seward (née Coventry; born 16 September 1983) is a Zimbabwean politician, sports administrator and former competitive swimmer. She will become the 10th president of the International Olympic Committee in June 2025, being the first woman, the first Zimbabwean, and the first African to be elected to that position, replacing Thomas Bach.^[1][2] Coventry served in the Cabinet of Zimbabwe from September 2018 to March 2025 as the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation until September 2023 and then as Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture. A former Olympic swimmer and world record holder, she is the most decorated Olympian from Africa.

Born in Harare, Coventry attended and swam competitively for Auburn University in Alabama, in the United States.^[3] At the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens, Coventry won three Olympic medals: a gold, a silver, and a bronze,^[4] and in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing she won four medals: a gold and three silver. She was subsequently described by Paul Chingoka, head of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, as "our national treasure".^[3] Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe called her "a golden girl",^[5] and awarded her US$100,000 in cash for her 2008 Olympic performance.^[6] In 2016, Coventry retired from swimming after her fifth Olympics, having won the joint-most individual medals in women's swimming in Olympic history. She is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and was elected the Chairperson of the IOC Athletes' Commission, the body that represents all Olympic athletes worldwide, in early 2018. In 2025, she was elected President of the IOC, becoming the first woman and first African to do so. Following her election, President Mnangagwa appointed Gen. Anselem Sanyatwe to replace her as Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation.