Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, marked the handover of the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from Thomas Bach to Kirsty Coventry on Monday.
Bach, an Olympic champion in fencing for Germany at the Olympic Games Montreal 1976, has been leading the organisation for 12 years following his election as the 9th IOC President in 2013.
On Olympic Day, which takes place on 23 June each year to commemorate the founding of the modern Olympic Games in 1894 based on the initiative by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, Bach symbolically passed the key for Olympic House from one Olympic champion to another. Coventry, a double Olympic champion in swimming from Zimbabwe (2004, 2008), was elected as the 10th IOC president at the 144th IOC Session this March in Olympia, Greece. She is the first woman and the first African ever to hold the IOC’s highest office and has been elected for a term of eight years.
The key, designed by Spanish artist André Ricard, who also created the torch of the Olympic Games Barcelona 1992 and the Olympic fire crucible at the Olympic Museum, was first passed during the handover from Juan Antonio Samaranch to Jacques Rogge in 2001.
More than 700 assembled guests – including IOC Members, athletes, Olympic Movement representatives, delegates from international organisations, political leaders and IOC staff – witnessed an emotional ceremony.
In her address, Coventry said the Olympic Movement is creating a platform for generations to come to reach their dreams: “It’s amazing. It’s incredible. And I can’t believe that, in 1992, when I had the dream of going to the Olympic Games and winning a gold medal for Zimbabwe, that I’d be standing here with all of you getting to make those dreams come true for more young people around the world.”
“IOC Members are the guardians of this Movement,” she said. “As the Olympic Movement, as Federations, as NOCs, as our sponsors and our partners, we are the guardians of this incredible platform. And it’s not just about a multi-sport event. It’s a platform to inspire. It’s a platform to change lives. And it’s a platform to bring hope. These are not things taken lightly, and I’m looking forward to working with each and every one of you to make sure that we continue to inspire, continue to change lives, and in our divided world today, continue to be a beacon of hope.”
She compared the Olympic Movement to a spider’s web, which is complex, strong and resilient: “But if one tiny little piece of that spider’s web breaks, it automatically becomes weakened. Our Movement, each and every single one of you, is that spiderweb. It’s complex, it’s beautiful, and it’s strong.
“But it only works if we work together, and if we remain united. Every single one of you plays a very significant role in our very important ecosystem. Working together over these next few years and consistently finding ways to strengthen and keep united our Movement will ensure and will allow for all of us that we could wake up daily and continue to inspire the next generation, to continue to change lives, and most importantly, to make dreams come true.”
She concluded: “I am really honoured that I get to walk this journey with you, and I cannot wait for anything that lies ahead, because I know I have the best team to support me, and our Movement in these next eight years.”
