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≡ THE HANDOVER CEREMONY ≡
“Today is a day of gratitude. Today is a day of confidence. Today is a day of joy.”
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) summed up his 12-year run as one of the most consequential leaders in the history of the modern Olympic Movement by welcoming his successor, Zimbabwean swim star Kirsty Coventry, in an elegant, hour-long ceremony at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland.
After the perfunctory congratulatory videos and musical introduction, Bach spoke for almost 13 minutes on those themes of gratitude, confidence and especially joy:
“Today is a day of joy. The joy of passing the torch to a new generation. On this Olympic Day, a new chapter opens before us, full of opportunities, carried by fresh energy and renewed purpose. This is the moment to celebrate the enduring vitality of our shared mission, entrusted to us 131 years ago on this very day by our founder, Pierre de Coubertin.
“This gratitude, this confidence, this joy, fill me with a deep sense of peace. Today, I stand before you with a hopefully clear mind, but for sure with a full heart, knowing I have given all I could to the Olympic Movement.
“I have dedicated myself to our mission, to the values we all hold dear. And to serving you with integrity and commitment. This gratitude, confidence and joy allow me to pass on the torch wit serenity, knowing that together we have done everything we could to strengthen the Olympic values for generations to come.”
Of Coventry, 41, who Bach, now 71, worked with and then promoted as a future Olympic leader, he said:
“She has a new voice, that resonates with a new generation. This is why I say, full of confidence. From tomorrow on, with Kirsty Coventry, the Olympic Movement will be in the best of hands.
“This is why I am at peace. This is why my heart of full of gratitude, full of confidence, full of joy.”
Bach then handed the symbolic “key to the Olympic Movement” first used by Juan Antonio Samaranch (ESP) when he turned the presidency over to Jacques Rogge (BEL) in 2001 and by Rogge to Bach in 2013.
Coventry’s 10-minute remarks recalled her path from a young swimmer in Zimbabwe to the Olympic Games and now to the presidency, thanked those who have helped and mentored her along the way and looked to the future:
“How lucky are we? We get to work on creating a platform that is going to allow for generations to come, to allow for them to reach their dreams. It’s amazing. It’s incredible. And I can’t believe that in 1992, when I had the dream of going to the Olympic Games and winning a gold medal for Zimbabwe, that I’d be standing here with all of you, getting to make those dreams come true for more young people around the world. …
“We are the guardians of this incredible platform. And it’s not just about a multi-sport event. It’s a platform to inspire. It’s a platform to change lives. And it’s a platform to bring hope.”
She gave a final honor to Bach, awarding the rarely-bestowed Olympic Order in Gold; he will remain as IOC President through the end of the day on Monday. Coventry will be President as of 24 June 2025.
And she will be busy, as she has convened the IOC membership for a day-and-a-half “Pause and Reflect” program to discuss their shared path forward – including the many suggestions made by the other Presidential candidates – and then an IOC Executive Board meeting on Wednesday and Thursday.
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