The most powerful woman in the history of sports is now in charge, with Trump kicking her.

Barcelona"Are you aware that you're the person who will command the most in world sport?" her husband recently asked Kirsty Coventry before breakfast. "I looked at him as if to say... what's he saying?" German Thomas Bach handed the baton to her. A historic milestone, as she is the first woman to head the institution founded by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 and the first African. The event, held at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, comes at a tense time due to the missile exchange between Israel and Iran, the Gaza crisis, and the war in Ukraine. And especially due to the US bombing of Iran ordered by Donald Trump, which has dynamited much of international politics at the three congresses in Greece. Neither Bach nor Coventry spoke about politics at today's event.Imagine John Lennon's anthem in support of a world without war, which has been played. Coventry was theoretically a favored choice by Trump, because it defends similar positions on the issue of transgender athletes. But now he will have to see how international politics evolves three years before the 2028 Los Angeles Games. with the possibility of boycotts on the tableSomething that was common in the 1980s but had almost disappeared from the Olympics since then.

Bach, 71, has handed over the golden key to the Olympic House to the former swimmer, who was elected on March 20. to lead the IOC for the next eight years after defeating Catalan Juan Antonio Samaranch i Salisachs. "Today is a day of joy as we pass the torch to a new generation. A new chapter opens before us, full of opportunities, driven by renewed energy and renewed purpose. It is a time to celebrate the enduring vitality of our shared mission," said Bach, who becomes IOC President for life. In fact, the German is Coventry's mentor. One of the questions will be whether the former swimmer quickly establishes her own agenda or follows the lines laid out by Bach. The new president thanked the previous president for keeping the organization "united during the most turbulent times." "Our movement, each one of us, is part of this web. It is complex, beautiful, and strong. But it only works if we work together and stay united," she added.

In her first speech, she said that Olympism "needs to change and take on new forms" and expressed her intention to maintain Bach's legacy and give a voice to all members of the Olympic community in the new era. She also praised what it means to be the first female IOC representative: "I was very lucky to have had very strong women around me from a very young age, from my grandmothers to my mother," she said in front of her two daughters, Ella, six years old, and Lily, seven months old. Coventry received the support of Africans in the elections, while she is not seen as a radical, but rather considers herself a conservative consensus figure when necessary, as she made clear in 2003 when she married. She then demanded that her husband, Tyrone Seward, respect a Zimbabwean tradition, the lobola, according to which the fiancé must give the fiancé's family a number of animals. In this case, two chickens and a cow.

In his farewell speech, Bach said that thanks to Coventry, "the movement sends a powerful message to the world: the IOC continues to evolve." "The new presidency reflects the truly global nature and the youthful, progressive spirit of our Olympic community. I believe, from the bottom of my heart, that the Olympic movement is ready for this future. We have reformed, renewed, and united around the values that define our Olympic movement," Bach added. However, the new president will face greater geopolitical challenges than those faced by Bach, who led in times of peace.