Online Reporter
FROM Astana, with her sights set on Asia, the president of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry, called on athletes from the eastern continent to speak up and take their rightful place in decision-making.
“It’s not just a title, it’s a responsibility,” she underlined.
In a live address via videoconference during the opening day of the 6th Athletes’ Forum of the Olympic Council of Asia, held on Tuesday in Astana, Kazakhstan, the IOC chief, Coventry of Zimbabwe, delivered a clear call to action, urging Asia’s athletes to play a central role in shaping the future of the movement.
Her message, remote, yet resolute, emphasised the vital need for athletes to become active players in global sports governance.
“This forum is your space, your opportunity to speak, to share ideas and to collaborate, ensuring your voices are heard on the issues that matter most to you and your fellow athletes,” said the former swimmer and double Olympic champion in her opening remarks to a gathering of around 120 delegates from 42 national Olympic committees across Asia, alongside IOC officials and representatives from other international sporting bodies.
Coventry, who entered the head office in Lausanne last June taking over from Thomas Bach, restated her dedication to athlete-led leadership and dialogue.
“From the outset of my presidency, one of my top priorities has been listening, understanding your perspectives and exploring how we can strengthen the Olympic community together,” she said.
She also recalled one of her first official visits, the OCA General Assembly in Kuwait, where she “felt the strong duty to placing athletes at the heart of everything.”
The Zimbabwean sporting icon thanked OCA President Raja Randhir Singh and OCA Athletes’ Committee Chair Ding Ning for their continued efforts to empower athletes in the region.
“As athletes, you are not just members of the Olympic community, you are its driving force. Sitting on an Athletes’ Commission is not merely a title, it’s a responsibility. You have a seat at the decision-making table. You have a voice and a vote. That is power. And that’s how real change happens,” she stressed.
The forum was designed as a platform for open dialogue between athletes and administrators and forms part of the IOC’s wider initiative to embed athletes more meaningfully in decision-making processes, not only during Olympic Games, but across the entire four-year cycle.
Prior to delivering her address, the Zimbabwean chief spent time in France attending anniversary events for the Paris 2024 opening ceremony, and subsequently undertook an official visit to Singapore in connection with the newly-completed World Aquatics Championships.
The 41-year-old leader expressed her pride in “serving the Olympic Movement” and assured delegates, “My door is always open.”
Her packed itinerary reflects the fast pace of her new term, one unfolding in a complex global environment for sports governance.
One of the most sensitive matters currently facing the IOC under her leadership concerns the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions, particularly ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
This week, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, formally urged Coventry to uphold the precedent set at Paris 2024, where 15 Russian and 17 Belarusian athletes competed under strict neutrality, with no flag, anthem or national symbols.
Speaking recently to French newspaper L’Équipe, the former swimming champion adopted a cautious but steady tone, “We have not made a final decision yet. As for Milano Cortina, I will not pre-empt the decisions of the Executive Board in September and December, but I anticipate we may take a similar stance to Paris.”
For last year’s Games, neutral participation came with strict conditions, participants had to qualify based solely on sporting merit, prove they did not actively support the Russian war with Ukraine, and have no affiliation with military forces.
These criteria could remain in place for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Northern Italy, though no official ruling has yet been issued. — insidethe games.com/Zimpapers Sports Hub
