What if the next IOC president was actually a woman? Kirsty Coventry is the only woman to apply, facing Feisal al Hussein, David Lappartient, Morinari Watanabe, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, Johan Eliasch and Sebastian Coe. The former swimmer with seven Olympic medals, who became Zimbabwe Minister of Sports, hopes to break the glass ceiling to inspire younger generations. “It is time for women in Africa to stand up and lead. Don't be afraid to lead, nor to lead in a different way, she says to BBC Sport. If you believe in something and you know you can lead an organization, don't be afraid to raise your hand and do it."
The double Olympic champion in the 200-meter backstroke also highlighted several areas of her potential mandate. Artificial intelligenceis one of them, as is Morinari Watanabe. Coventry sees in AI in particular opportunities to progress, in terms of training, care or nutrition, for athletes with limited resources. It is also projecting itself on a wider broadcast of streaming competitions in order to adapt to new public consumption patterns. “One of my expectations for our rights-holding media is how we are going to access streaming around the world, she explains. We saw, for the first time, NFL games streamed on Netflix on Christmas Day. What does that mean for us? This question will be very important in the future. I think that if we can create opportunities in these new areas, we will attract more fans, which should translate into new revenue opportunities.” Beyond the NFL, the Roland-Garros tennis tournament has also tested streaming in France by signing a contract with Amazon Prime Video.
