The Korea Sports Council sincerely congratulated Kirsty Coventry (Zimbabwe, 41) on her election as the 10th Chairperson of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the 21st and warmly welcomed her as the first woman Chairperson in IOC history and a young leader ushering in a new era of sports.
Chairperson Coventry has rich experience in the international sports community as a swimming Olympic gold medalist and a former athlete, having served as the IOC Athlete Commissioner and Minister of Sports of Zimbabwe. She has especially achieved significant accomplishments in various fields, including gender equality, athlete-centered decision-making, and fostering next-generation leadership. This election is expected to further strengthen the Olympic spirit of diversity and inclusion and continue the global standards pursued by the IOC.
Yoo Seung-min, the Chair of the Korea Sports Council, noted, "I sincerely congratulate Chairperson Kirsty Coventry on her election, and she is a leader who has always listened to the voices of athletes while creating a fair and inclusive sports culture. I believe the IOC will continue to play a major role in the development of global sports going forward."
He added, "The Korea Sports Council will also strive to achieve gender equality, strengthen athlete-centered policies, and discover and cultivate young sports leaders, and we will continue to cooperate with the IOC moving forward."
In particular, Yoo remarked, "I have a long-standing relationship with Chairperson Coventry, as we both served as IOC Athlete Commissioners from 2016 to 2021, and I will closely collaborate with her based on mutual trust to create positive changes and developments in the international sports community."
[Photo] Provided by the Korea Sports Council.
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