The next president of the International Olympic Committee is a former Zimbabwe swimmer who is Africa’s most decorated Olympian and a minister in a government often accused of oppressing political opposition.

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe was elected president of the International Olympic Committee Thursday, becoming the Switzerland-based organization’s first woman and first African leader. “This is an extraordinary moment,

Kirsty Coventry was elected president of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday and became the first woman and first African to get perhaps the biggest job in world sports. "It is a signal that we are truly global," the Zimbabwe sports minister and two-time Olympic swimming gold medalist said.