THE Government has pledged full support for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Minister Kirsty Coventry as she prepares to assume the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), following her historic election in Greece last week.<\/p>\n
Coventry, Zimbabwe\u2019s most decorated Olympian, returned home yesterday to a hero\u2019s welcome at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare, where jubilant crowds of supporters, athletes, coaches, Cabinet Ministers and senior Government officials gathered to celebrate her landmark achievement.<\/p>\n
She becomes the 10th president of the IOC \u2014 and the first woman, as well as the first person from outside Europe and the United States, to lead the world\u2019s most powerful sporting body.<\/p>\n
Coventry officially takes office on June 23.
\nWomen Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Coventry\u2019s election was a milestone not only for Zimbabwe, but for the African continent and the global sporting community. She described Coventry as a beacon of inspiration and resilience.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me say, Kirsty, your track record speaks for itself. You are not just Zimbabwe\u2019s most decorated Olympian \u2014 you are Africa\u2019s best,\u201d said Mutsvangwa.
\n\u201cWith seven Olympic medals \u2014 two golds, four silvers, one bronze \u2014 she single-handedly brought home seven of Zimbabwe\u2019s eight Olympic medals. Kirsty, you\u2019ve placed<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe on the global stage of history. We are excited, and we will stand by you. This is not just a personal victory; it is a national milestone.\u201d Among them were ICT Minister Tatenda Mavetera, Deputy Ministers Emily Jesaya and Yeukai Simbanegavi, Sport and Recreation Commission Director Elta Nengomasha, Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Director Eugenia Chidhakwa, and Zimbabwe Olympic Committee CEO Marlene Gadzirayi.<\/p>\n Minister Mutsvangwa, who recently represented Zimbabwe at the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, said Coventry\u2019s victory resonated with the conference\u2019s core themes on women\u2019s leadership and empowerment.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Kirsty. I\u2019ll miss you \u2014 she\u2019s like a daughter to me in Cabinet. Let the girls of this country know that it can be done. You can achieve your vision with dedication. You\u2019ve made us proud,\u201d said Mutsvangwa.<\/p>\n \u201cI salute my dear sister, Minister Mavetera, and all the women leaders who came out today. I remember being with Kirsty in New York when she was lobbying for this role during the UN General Assembly. I saw her grit, tenacity, and determination \u2014 and I knew she would succeed.\u201d \u201cWe are so proud of you. This is a powerful message for the girl child and women everywhere. You\u2019ve walked a long and demanding road, and I want to also honour Tyrone, your husband, and your parents \u2014 you are truly a source of inspiration for many.\u201d<\/p>\n While her Olympic record is unmatched in Africa, Coventry has also made a mark in public service. Since her appointment to Cabinet in 2018, she has led several transformative initiatives in youth development, grassroots sport, and the creative industries.<\/p>\n Under her leadership, the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation spearheaded the national Youth Empowerment Strategy, the revival of community sport and recreational centres, and the restructuring of national sporting associations to improve governance and athlete welfare.<\/p>\n She also oversaw the drafting of a National Sport and Recreation Policy aimed at professionalising sport and positioning Zimbabwe as a competitive sporting nation. Coventry has hinted that she may step down from her Cabinet post to focus on her new international duties. If confirmed, her departure would mark the end of an impactful chapter in Zimbabwe\u2019s public administration \u2014 but also the beginning of a new era of global representation. THE Government has pledged full support for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Minister Kirsty Coventry as she prepares to assume the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), following her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mosrac.gov.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mosrac.gov.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mosrac.gov.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mosrac.gov.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mosrac.gov.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6012"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mosrac.gov.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6013,"href":"https:\/\/www.mosrac.gov.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6012\/revisions\/6013"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mosrac.gov.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mosrac.gov.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mosrac.gov.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mosrac.gov.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nCoventry\u2019s triumph is especially symbolic, coming during International Women\u2019s Month. Her election was celebrated by women across the continent, and a large contingent of female leaders turned up at the airport in solidarity.<\/p>\n
\nMutsvangwa revealed that Zimbabwe was mentioned at the General Assembly\u2019s closing ceremony, where Coventry\u2019s historic IOC presidency was acknowledged \u2014 another symbolic moment for the nation.<\/p>\n
\nIn the arts sector, her ministry helped establish funding mechanisms for creatives and promoted cultural preservation through various national festivals and exchange programmes.<\/p>\n
\nAs she prepares to ascend to the helm of world sport, Kirsty Coventry carries not only the dreams of athletes but the pride of a nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"