Kirsty Coventry has made history after being elected as the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), becoming the first female and first African IOC President. She spoke to CGTN’s Evangelo Sipsas after her election victory.
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#ioc #olympics #kirstycoventry #coventry
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00:00We've achieved so many good things, especially when it comes to equality and diversity within
00:05the movement over the last 12 years, and we've now got to leverage off of that.
00:09I think we're doing a really incredible job in the IOC, and I would like us to filter
00:14that down to the International Federations, the National Olympic Committees, the National
00:18Federation.
00:19So there'll be a big focus on that, a lot of work to do, but there is a really incredible
00:26momentum right now, and I want us to leverage off that momentum.
00:31What measures are you willing to implement to address some of the geopolitical challenges
00:35that the world is facing, and particularly when it comes to the participation of athletes
00:40from countries that are facing sanctions?
00:42You know, we've got conflicts around the world, especially on my continent at the moment as
00:47well, and this challenge, I don't really see going away anytime soon, so I'd like to set
00:54up a task force that is going to look at coming up with some policies and some frameworks
01:00that will allow for us as a movement to navigate these very sensitive times with some core
01:07principles of protecting and supporting athletes.
01:09How do you view China's investment in sports infrastructure and talent development, and
01:15what opportunities do you see for that collaboration to deepen?
01:21I mean, I won my second gold medal in 2008 in Beijing, so I have great experience and
01:29memories as well from that, and I was even more enthusiastic when I went back in 2022
01:39for the Winter Olympic Games, and the swimming pool was the curling facility, so that was
01:43pretty impressive.
01:44There's so many wonderful things that China is doing, especially in sport.
01:50When you look at the Winter Games and how impactful that was with so many young people
01:55taking up their winter sports, I think there's a lot that we can learn from that, and the
02:02partnerships and the relationship with China has always been good, and it will continue
02:07to be very strong, and I'm looking forward to the future.