Olympics - good news!

[ArabellaScott]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/articles/cy4v91e3e1wo

First woman president, and:

'During her election campaign Coventry pledged to modernise, promote sustainability, embrace technology and empower athletes.
She placed particular emphasis on protecting female sport, backing a blanket ban of transgender women from competing in female Olympic sport.'

She's the preferred candidate of the outgoing president, who was firmly in the trans rights camp. I'd like to see some evidence of her views on males with DSDs competing in female categories.

Big disappointment that Seb Coe did not get the nomination.

Why are you pleased that Seb Coe is out?

https://www.thetimes.com/sport/olympics/article/ioc-olympic-committee-seb-coe-kirsty-coventry-presidential-election-39wcjsz8x

"No appetite for change inside the ultimate private members’ club as Thomas Bach will be succeeded by his preferred candidate at end of 12-year Lausanne reign.....
A first female president of the IOC will be celebrated as a hugely progressive moment for sport but here in southern Greece it seemed quite the opposite. This was a victory for continuity inside an organisation in dire need of modernisation and a victory for the outgoing Thomas Bach.
The 71-year-old German dared to deny that he had a preferred candidate but it was an open secret that he wanted Kirsty Coventry. After only two minutes of an election some predicted would last for two hours, the white smoke appeared"

Why is it great that she is a woman...if she fails to protect women's sport? Women endorsing men in women's spaces just consolidates the whole business.

Ouff, Oliver Brown, also not impressed:
https://archive.ph/3CaUr

On a more positive note, she appears to be a highly skilful operator and she'll need to be.

Edited to add, the archive link is to a Telegraph article - I don't have a login but it's here:
www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2025/03/21/kirsty-coventry-robert-mugabe-ioc-president-lord-coe/

How are they going to keep transgender athletes out, if their qualification policy of an F on the passport remains?

She said outright no transwomen. How are you going do that, unless you start sex testing?

I realise there are more athletes with DSDs, than trans identified males, but nonetheless, a TIM who has F on his passport will be wildly invested in them maintaining that policy.

They are under the international spotlight now, it's going to be difficult for them to fanny about.

edited to add that you could have two male looking people, both with F on their passport one who could be DSD and one who could be trans, both insisting that they're women.

I'm disappointed Coe didn't get it - and it definitely looks like a stitch up.

However, the dial has already shifted on women's sports and will continue to shift further. They cannot have a repeat of 2024, they know that. Bach's legacy is a shitshow, they know that too.

So I expect she will proceed with caution, but still proceed - and having Trump as president of the host country will make a difference too.

After 2024 I felt that, despite the awfulness, there were reasons to be cheerful. They threw everything they had at ensuring silence and compliance - and it didn't work (for a reasonable proportion of the public at least). Certain sections of the media didn't play ball either.

Come 2028, there will be so much scrutiny on this issue. Fudging will be entirely obvious.

Unfortunately I don't think this is good news at all.

The grifting and corruption in the IOC is mind-blowing, they will allow trans athletes if the price is right.

She may be a woman but I think she's won because Seb Coe, who has made his support for women's sport absolutely clear, would have shaken things up too much. That's nothing to celebrate.

Yes, that is all very possible.

I still hope that some progress may be made. There will certainly be a lot of scrutiny and a lot of outrage if not.

Because it’s still progress of sorts that a woman has finally been appointed. I will be just as disappointed as everyone else if she fails to protect women’s sport but we have to hope she will, it’s still a barrier being broken down.

Wrong, it's very, very bad news. It's a very sad result. She SUPPORTED Khelif and the other one playing in womens sports. She only changed when she ran for the position. I don't believe her. I don't trust her. Seb Coe was the only one who was explicit in supporting female only sport all along. The ONLY one! It's a travesty he wasn't elected. I feel fearful now. Bullshit Coventry will protect womens sport! She never meant it, you'll see. She'll go back to supporting males with male DSD in the womens category as she always has.

My heart sank when I read she got the position. We're truly fucked.

I'm not sure I buy that any more. I'm not sure she's been elected because she's the best person for the role......just being female doesn't mean progress unless one sees everything in the public realm as being a form of performative/symbolic gesture politics. In the same way that people thought that voting for Kamala as president of the U.S was progress - in spite of her obvious limitations.

Marina Hyde:
'Plenty more of that, which makes her pledge to protect the female category in sport with “a bit more of a leading role” one to watch. Pushed on this headline issue in the wake of her victory, Coventry explained: “We’re going to create a taskforce that’s going to look at the transgender issue and the protection of the female category.” What do we want? Taskforces to be created! When do want them? In due course!'

Or:
'But look, I hope they enjoyed this election, and at some point might even consider the idea of having free and fair ones in their own countries.'

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/21/ioc-kirsty-coventry-sebastian-coe-olympic-politics

Excellent and depressing article, thank you.

Marina Hyde bang on the money as always. Focus needs to be on the remaining governing bodies that still haven’t banned males in the female category because the IOC will do fuck all.

Marina Hyde getting a teeny bit braver on the trans issue I see.

I mean, baby steps, but it's something.

I agree.
I'm pissed off as anything that Coe didn't get it and I don't trust Coventry one inch - but women have as much of a right to be arses as men. Even if they're not actually feminists themselves, women achieving "firsts" is always good for women in general. Because next time it won't be about being a woman, it'll just be about being the best candidate. (ETA: no question but that she was put forward because she's a woman and Bach, the real power, thinks she can shaft other women with impunity - being a woman and an African will be used as the shield against criticism. But nevertheless, it's a barrier broken.)

So one slightly wry cheer from me for the first woman IOC president.