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.

Ms. Coventry, a former Olympic swimming champion who has been Zimbabwe’s sports minister, faces urgent issues including the rights of transgender athletes and the challenges posed by the climate crisis.