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.

International Olympic Committee members elected Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry as president, replacing Thomas Bach, the committee announced Thursday. Coventry will be the first woman and African to hold the role.