IOC presidential election LIVE: Ex-swimmer Kirsty Coventry beats Seb Coe as historic results revealed

“The British Olympic Association warmly congratulates Kirsty Coventry who has today become the first female and tenth President of the International Olympic Committee. We know her well and look forward to working together to grow the Olympic Movement’s global relevance and commercial success."

The 2036 Olympics seem likely to move from the July-August period the Summer Games has occupied since the 2004 Athens Olympics.

It can be a catalyst for a wide review of the global sports calendar amid rising temperatures and extreme weather.

The new president’s eight-year mandate runs through 2033 and all games hosts in that time are already picked. Even 2034 is decided for the Salt Lake City Winter Games and 2038 looks destined for Switzerland.

The next big decision is the 2036 Summer Games with high-level lobbying under way by countries like India and Qatar. Doha would perhaps anchor a regional project with neighboring Gulf states.

There is no set timetable for a decision in the new, flexible and more opaque process designed by Bach which largely cuts members out of decisions, but limits the risk of vote-buying.

Gender equality has been a key policy of the Bach presidency: Equal quotas of men and women athletes, higher profile scheduling of women’s events, men and women flag bearers for each team, more women members of the IOC.

Coventry is just the second female presidential candidate in the IOC’s 131-year history and the first with a chance to win.

Gender eligibility in Olympic sports is now a hot-button issue, fueled further by President Trump’s executive order on transgender athletes in the U.S. and promises to pressure the IOC, and coming after the furor and disinformation around women’s boxing in Paris last year.

The IOC had some responsibility for women’s boxing arriving in Paris with what seemed outdated eligibility rules. Those could be reviewed before 2028.

The IOC has been closely aligned with the United Nations and the multilateral rules-based order shaping the world for 80 years. That is under pressure, from the US and elsewhere. When and how to reintegrate Russia in the Olympic family is pressing.

If these can seem uniquely challenging times, Coe noted his career as a track champion at Moscow in 1980 and LA in 1984 was an Olympic era of Cold War boycotts and exclusion for apartheid-era South Africa.

“They always have been (navigable) in the past,” Coe said of the pending diplomatic turmoil.

The next Summer Games is in Los Angeles in 2028, in the final months of President Donald Trump's second term. As the host nation head of state, he should help formally open the games at a July 14 ceremony likely drawing the biggest global audience for any broadcast in 2028.

A challenge until then is protecting what the IOC calls Olympic values, including gender equality and universal inclusion.

American relations this year with long-time allies like Canada, Ukraine, Denmark and Germany has cast doubt on how much warmth there will be for the US as a welcoming host in 2028.

The government’s limited operational role for the Olympics includes security and border issues, including visas. A test of those plans will be the US co-hosting the men’s 2026 World Cup in with Canada and Mexico. Iran should be among the first teams to qualify next week.

The next IOC president will need nimble diplomatic skills, balanced with close ties to the Democratic-leaning local organising committee, city of LA and state of California.

Incumbent president Thomas Bach said: “Congratulations to Kirsty Coventry on her election as the 10th IOC president. I warmly welcome the decision of the IOC members and look forward to strong cooperation, particularly during the transition period. There is no doubt that the future for our Olympic movement is bright and that the values we stand for will continue to guide us through the years to come.”

She adds: “Sport has an unmatched power to unite, inspire and create opportunities for all, and I am committed to making sure we harness that power to its fullest. Together with the entire Olympic family, including our athletes, fans and sponsors, we will build on our strong foundations, embrace innovation, and champion the values of friendship, excellence and respect.

“The future of the Olympic Movement is bright, and I can't wait to get started.”

"I am incredibly honoured and excited to be elected as president of the International Olympic Committee. I want to sincerely thank my fellow members for their trust and support.

“The young girl who first started swimming in Zimbabwe all those years ago could never have dreamt of this moment.

“I am particularly proud to be the first female IOC President, and also the first from Africa. I hope that this vote will be an inspiration to many people. Glass ceilings have been shattered today, and I am fully aware of my responsibilities as a role model.”

This was Seb Coe’s only chance to claim the IOC presidency. He was already too old to run in this race, technically, although rules would have been bent for the 68-year-old had he been victorious. But he won’t be standing in eight or 12 years’ time.

The results show just how far away he was from victory, finishing a distant third behind the younger, more dynamic pick in Coventry and the establishment name of Juan Antonio Samaranch.

Coe is a popular figure in Britian and in athletics, but his outspoken approach on major issues, like Russian doping and even this very election for lacking transparency, made him a thorn in the IOC’s side. Ultimately he couldn’t command the support of senior figures in the organisation he was trying to rule, and that may have been what proved costly.