PRESIDENT of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC), Keith Joseph, has weighed in on the recent election of Zimbabwean Olympic champion, Kristy Coventry, as the new President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), describing it as a pivotal moment that could determine the future trajectory of the global body.

Coventry, a former Olympic swimmer and one of Africa’s most decorated athletes, was elected last week to succeed Thomas Bach, whose 12-year tenure at the helm of the IOC was marked by both global expansion and internal contention. While her election comes as no surprise to insiders familiar with IOC politics, Joseph believes the choice signals a critical juncture for the Olympic Movement.

In his latest message, Joseph suggests that the future of the IOC “hangs in the balance,” as the organisation enters a new era under Coventry’s leadership. He notes that while there will be much discussion and analysis in the weeks ahead, the dust is far from settled on what her presidency will mean.
Joseph draws attention to Bach’s legacy—his diplomatic manoeuvring in an increasingly complex global landscape, and the foundations laid by his predecessors, particularly Jacques Rogge and Tommy Sithole, which helped broaden the IOC’s engagement with international humanitarian institutions like the United Nations.

However, Joseph is also critical of the IOC’s reluctance to evolve structurally under Bach’s leadership, despite the establishment of various institutions and initiatives. “The IOC remained much the same, a seeming private organisation priding itself as a global sports institution dictating to National Olympic Committees and Games Organising Cities how they fit into its perceived mandate,” he observed, noting that little was done to bring genuine change for the benefit of athletes—the primary generators of the Olympic Games’ economic success.
He also referenced Bach’s unease with external challenges to the IOC’s global sporting dominance, particularly when FIFA floated the idea of expanding the frequency of its World Cup tournaments. To Joseph, this episode exposed the IOC’s deeply entrenched need to protect its “sport nobility” status.

Coventry’s election, Joseph says, is a direct response to a bold call made by CANOC’s own Brian Lewis at the 2018 Olympism In Action forum during the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. At that event, Lewis challenged the Olympic Movement to install a woman at the head of the IOC—an appeal that, seven years later, has finally come to fruition.

Still, Joseph hints at a more nuanced interpretation of Coventry’s rise. While her election may mark progress in gender representation, there is speculation that Bach’s support for her candidacy might have been partly strategic—a means of preserving elements of his legacy and maintaining influence over the organisation’s future direction.

“Time, the great revealer, will ultimately reveal all truths,” Joseph said, as he urged stakeholders across the Olympic Movement—especially in the Caribbean—to remain vigilant and proactive in shaping the path ahead. (Sportsmax)