عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

Coventry Becomes First Woman and First African to Lead IOC

Zimbabwean candidate for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kirsty Coventry reacts after being elected during the 144th IOC Session on the day of the election of the next President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in Costa Navarino, Greece on March 20, 2025. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
Zimbabwean candidate for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kirsty Coventry reacts after being elected during the 144th IOC Session on the day of the election of the next President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in Costa Navarino, Greece on March 20, 2025. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
TT
TT

Coventry Becomes First Woman and First African to Lead IOC

Zimbabwean candidate for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kirsty Coventry reacts after being elected during the 144th IOC Session on the day of the election of the next President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in Costa Navarino, Greece on March 20, 2025. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
Zimbabwean candidate for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kirsty Coventry reacts after being elected during the 144th IOC Session on the day of the election of the next President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in Costa Navarino, Greece on March 20, 2025. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

Kirsty Coventry smashed through the International Olympic Committee’s glass ceiling on Thursday to become the organization’s first female and first African president in its 130-year history.
The Zimbabwean swimming great, already a towering figure in Olympic circles, emerged victorious to replace Thomas Bach, securing the top job in world sport and ushering in a new era for the Games.
Coventry needed only one round of voting to clinch the race to succeed Bach, winning an immediate overall majority in the secret ballot with 49 of the available 97 votes, Reuters reported.
She beat Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. into second place, the Spaniard winning 28 votes. Britain’s Sebastian Coe, considered one of the front runners in the days leading up to the vote, came third with eight votes.
The remaining votes went to Frenchman David Lappartient, Jordan’s Prince Feisal, Swedish-born Johan Eliasch, and Japan’s Morinari Watanabe.
"This is not just a huge honor but it is a reminder of my commitment to every single one of you that I will lead this organization with so much pride," a beaming Coventry told her fellow IOC members at the luxury seaside resort in Greece’s southwestern Peloponnese which hosted the IOC Session.
"I will make all of you very, very proud, and hopefully extremely confident with the choice you've taken today, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
"Now we've got some work together and I'd like to thank the candidates -- this race was an incredible race and it made us better, it made us a stronger movement.
"I know from the conversations I've had with every single one of you how much stronger our movement is going to be."
The seven-times Olympic medalist joined the IOC's Athletes’ Commission in 2012, and her election to the top job signals a new era for the IOC, with expectations that she will bring a fresh perspective to pressing issues such as athlete rights, the gender debate, and the sustainability of the Games.
A champion of sport development in Africa, Coventry has pledged to expand Olympic participation and ensure the Games remain relevant to younger generations.
She also inherits the complex task of navigating relations with global sports federations and sponsors while maintaining the IOC’s financial stability, which has relied heavily on its multibillion-dollar broadcasting and sponsorship deals.
As she takes the helm, the global sporting community will be watching closely to see how she shapes the future of the world’s biggest multi-sport organization.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Roberto Carlos Reportedly Undergoes Heart Surgery While on Vacation in Brazil

Roberto Carlos. (AFP)
Roberto Carlos. (AFP)
TT
TT

Roberto Carlos Reportedly Undergoes Heart Surgery While on Vacation in Brazil

Roberto Carlos. (AFP)
Roberto Carlos. (AFP)

Former Brazil and Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos has undergone surgery for a heart problem, Spanish daily sports newspaper Diario AS reported on Wednesday.

The 52-year-old former full-back, who now serves as a Madrid ambassador, was reportedly vacationing in his home country when an examination revealed a heart dysfunction.

According to AS, Roberto Carlos initially sought tests for a small blood clot in his leg. However, a full-body MRI showed his heart was not functioning properly. He was admitted to hospital for surgery to have a catheter inserted.

The procedure, which was expected to last 40 minutes, extended to almost three hours due to a complication, AS said, adding the procedure was successful.

Roberto Carlos is said to be out of danger but remains under close observation and will stay hospitalized for another 48 hours to ensure his recovery continues.

The newspaper said it contacted the former Brazil star and his entourage, quoting him as saying: “I’m fine now.”

Roberto Carlos, one of the most attacked-minded left backs of all time, won 125 Brazil caps and played for 11 years at Madrid.

He was a member of the World Cup squads which reached the final in 1998 and won in 2002. He also helped Brazil win the Copa America in 1997 and 1999 and won the Champions League three times with Madrid.

Roberto Carlos once produced a stunning “banana” free kick that seemed to defy the law of physics and was analyzed by scientists.

In what many people regard as the best free kick in the history of the game, he struck the ball with the outside of his left foot from 35 yards, bending it around France’s three-man wall during an exhibition tournament in Lyon in 1997.

The shot looked way off target, a ball boy standing 10 yards from the goal even ducked his head, but at the last moment it swerved dramatically into the net. The bewildered France goalkeeper, Fabien Barthez, had not even moved.

Roberto Carlos claimed at the time he had done it all before, against Roma when he was playing for Inter Milan, although he never quite managed to repeat his 1997 trick.

Sports

Mbappe Suffers Knee Sprain in Blow for Real Madrid

Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe sits on the bench during the UEFA Champions League league phase day 6 football match between Real Madrid CF and Manchester City at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 10, 2025. (AFP)
Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe sits on the bench during the UEFA Champions League league phase day 6 football match between Real Madrid CF and Manchester City at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 10, 2025. (AFP)
TT
TT

Mbappe Suffers Knee Sprain in Blow for Real Madrid

Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe sits on the bench during the UEFA Champions League league phase day 6 football match between Real Madrid CF and Manchester City at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 10, 2025. (AFP)
Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe sits on the bench during the UEFA Champions League league phase day 6 football match between Real Madrid CF and Manchester City at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on December 10, 2025. (AFP)

Real Madrid on Wednesday said that Kylian Mbappe had suffered a knee sprain, delivering a blow to their bid to reel in Liga leaders Barcelona.

"After the tests carried out today on our player Kylian Mbappe by Real Madrid's medical services, he was diagnosed with a sprain in his left knee. Awaiting evolution," the club said in a statement.

Real Madrid did not indicate how long the 27-year-old striker would be out for, but a source close to the France superstar told AFP that he would be absent for at least three weeks.

Mbappe, the leading scorer in La Liga this season with 18 goals, is therefore a major doubt for Sunday's league match at home to Real Betis, Los Merengues' first after the winter break as they trail Barcelona by four points.

He could also miss the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against arch-rivals Atletico Madrid in Saudi Arabia on January 8, as well as a league fixture against Levante and a Champions League clash with former club Monaco.

Real did not say when or how Mbappe was injured, however he had trained with the team on Tuesday.

He underwent an MRI scan on Wednesday.

Mbappe has enjoyed a stellar 2025, equaling Cristiano Ronaldo's club record 59 goals in a calendar year, and has at times carried Real Madrid, relieving some pressure on under-fire coach Xabi Alonso.

He has scored 73 goals in 83 matches for Real since making a free transfer move to the Spanish giants from Paris Saint-Germain 18 months ago.

He finished top scorer in La Liga last season with 31 goals -- four more than Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski -- and is currently seven goals clear of the next best this season, Barca's Ferran Torres.

His absence adds to those of Real defenders Daniel Carvajal, Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold, midfielder Federico Valverde, and forward Brahim Diaz who is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco.

Sports

Caballero Defends Maresca After Palmer Substitution Sparks Jeers

Football - Premier League - Chelsea v AFC Bournemouth - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - December 30, 2025 Chelsea's Cole Palmer shakes hands with manager Enzo Maresca after being substituted. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Chelsea v AFC Bournemouth - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - December 30, 2025 Chelsea's Cole Palmer shakes hands with manager Enzo Maresca after being substituted. (Action Images via Reuters)
TT
TT

Caballero Defends Maresca After Palmer Substitution Sparks Jeers

Football - Premier League - Chelsea v AFC Bournemouth - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - December 30, 2025 Chelsea's Cole Palmer shakes hands with manager Enzo Maresca after being substituted. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Chelsea v AFC Bournemouth - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - December 30, 2025 Chelsea's Cole Palmer shakes hands with manager Enzo Maresca after being substituted. (Action Images via Reuters)

Chelsea assistant coach Willy Caballero defended Enzo Maresca's decision to replace Cole Palmer after the controversial substitution sparked jeered from angry fans during the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth on Tuesday.

Maresca was barraged with chants of "you don't know what you're doing" when Palmer was brought off in the 63rd minute as Chelsea chased a winning goal that would have ended their disappointing spell.

The Chelsea manager's move backfired, leaving them with just one win from their last seven league games and sparking more boos at the final whistle.

The pressure is growing on the Italian, with fifth-placed Chelsea having dropped 13 points at home from winning positions.

But Maresca, who was absent from his post-match media duties due to an illness, remains an "example" to everyone at the club according to Caballero.

"Any supporter wants to have the best players on the pitch," he said. "We want to have that as well. But Cole is coming from a long injury.

"In this case we need to find a way to find the right substitutions to go for the game and also to look after the health of our players.

"We want to have them for the rest of the season."

Asked why Maresca didn't face the media to explain his Palmer switch, Caballero said: "He didn't feel well the last two days. He was with a bit of a temperature two days ago.

"He did the last two sessions, he wanted to prepare the team. But after the game he went to the changing room and asked me to replace him because he didn't feel well.

"He's dealing well, he's very professional. He does a lot of hours every single day, even when the last two days feeling bad he was there. He loves to train and to coach. He's an example for me and all of the staff."

Bournemouth went ahead after six minutes when David Brooks finished at the second attempt following a Robert Sanchez save, before Chelsea levelled through Palmer's penalty.

Enzo Fernandez then fired the hosts in front but again the Blues could not hold their lead, Justin Kluivert equalizing before half-time after Chelsea failed to deal with a long throw-in from Antoine Semenyo.

Ghana forward Semenyo is reportedly set to join Manchester City and he appeared to say goodbye to Bournemouth's fans before leaving the pitch.

However, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is confident he will play against leaders Arsenal on Saturday.

"It's not his last game here with us," Iraola said. "I cannot say a hundred percent but I think he will play."