Kirsty Coventry became the first woman and first African to be elected president of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday. With Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Olympics, Trump will loom large in her agenda. "I have been dealing with, let's say, difficult men in high positions since I was 20 years old," she says, adding that "communication will be key."
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening to you all. I just wanted to start off by really thanking Yela. And through
00:20this journey of six months, there were so many candidates. And I'm really looking forward
00:26I'm extremely proud of both of those different identities that make up me. And I'm grateful
00:35as well to have been given a platform to work extremely hard over the last six months with
00:44IOC members to really, as you said, make sure that they know who I am and what values I
00:53hold dearly. And it wasn't just about being a woman or being from Africa. I'm so grateful
00:59that the members saw more than just gender or where I come from. I have to say that there
01:07have been incredible women that have come before me. One of them sitting in the room
01:11today, which I might get a little emotional about with Anita de France, a huge inspiration
01:21to me and to many women. And I was just really proud that I could make her proud. She was
01:28the first woman to run for this position. And like I said, she inspired me. She's been
01:33a huge mentor of mine since I came into the movement in 2013. And yeah, it is significant.
01:43I think it will take a little bit of time to truly set in. But women like her paved
01:49the way for women like me. And I want to pave the way for younger generation.
01:55...platform to work extremely hard over the last six months. Thank you. I've actually
02:01just picked up my phone. I haven't had very, I think, overwhelmed, difficult...
02:10When it comes to the USA and L.A., I have been dealing with, let's say, difficult men
02:24in high positions since I was 20 years old. And first and foremost, what I have learned
02:31is that communication will be key. That is something that will happen early on. And my
02:38firm belief is that President Trump is a huge lover of sports. He will want these games
02:45to be significant. He will want them to be a success.
02:49...I have to say that there have been incredible women that he's been meeting difficulties
02:54that he's overcome. So...