The 144th IOC Session was held in Costa Navarino,

Pylos Pylos (, ; ), historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, from 18 to 21 March 2025. At this session, Zimbabwean former Olympic swimmer

Kirsty Coventry Kirsty Leigh Coventry Seward (née Coventry; born 16 September 1983) is a Zimbabwean politician, sports administrator and former competitive swimmer. She will become the 10th president of the International Olympic Committee in June 2025, being ...

was elected as the tenth

President of the International Olympic Committee The president of the International Olympic Committee is head of the executive board that assumes the general overall responsibility for the administration of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the management of its affairs. The IOC E ...

, becoming the first woman and the first African to hold the position and succeeding the ninth President, German

Thomas Bach Thomas Bach (born 29 December 1953) is a German lawyer, former foil fencer, and Olympic gold medalist. He has served as the ninth president of the International Olympic Committee since 2013, the first ever Olympic champion to be elected to tha ...

. Greece was originally selected to host the 137th IOC Session that was due to take place in 2021, however,

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

travel restrictions forced the session to be held virtually. The Session itself took place in the House of Events at the Costa Navarino resort in

, while the Opening Ceremony performances took place in Ancient Olympia.

IOC presidential election

Thomas Bach, who is term-limited as President of the International Olympic Committee, concluded his tenure as President at this session. Bach was elected President at the

125th IOC Session The 125th IOC Session took place at the Buenos Aires Hilton in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 7 to 10 September 2013. On 7 September, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) elected Tokyo as the host city of the 2020 Summer Olympic ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

in 2013. The tenth IOC President,

, was elected at this session.

Candidates

On 16 September 2024, the IOC announced that the following candidates will run for the presidency: * Prince Faisal bin HusseinIOC Member since 2010, brother of

King Abdullah II Abdullah II (Abdullah bin Hussein; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of the Hashemites, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is traditionally reg ...

, and Member of the IOC Executive Board *

Sebastian Coe Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, (born 29 September 1956), often referred to as Seb Coe, is a British sports administrator, former politician and retired track and field athlete. As a middle-distance runner, Coe won four Olympic medals, incl ...

IOC member since 2020, President of

World Athletics World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) was the organisation responsible for overseeing the planning and development of the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was jointly established by the UK Go ...

, four-time Olympic medalist in middle-distance running ( Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984) *

IOC member since 2013, Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation in

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

, Olympic champion in swimming ( Athens 2004 and

Beijing 2008 The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fr ...

), and Member of the IOC Executive Board * Johan EliaschIOC Member since 2024, President of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, and environmental activist *

David Lappartient David Lappartient (born 31 May 1973) is a French politician, sporting administrator and the president of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), having been elected to the post in September 2017 at the 2017 UCI Road World Championships. In Ju ...

IOC Member since 2022, President of The International Cycling Union, President of the

French National Olympic and Sports Committee The French National Olympic and Sports Committee (, CNOSF) is the National Olympic Committee of France. It is responsible for France's participation in the Olympic Games, as well as for all of France's overseas departments and territories. Histo ...

and Chair of the IOC Esports Commission *

Juan Antonio Samaranch Salisachs Juan Antonio Samaranch Salisachs (born 1 November 1959) is a Spanish sports executive and financial analyst who currently serves as the vice president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He is the son of former IOC president Juan An ...

IOC member since 2001, son of former IOC President

Juan Antonio Samaranch Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquess of Samaranch ( Catalan: ''Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló'', ; 17 July 1920 – 21 April 2010) was a Spanish sports administrator under the Franco regime (1973–1977) who served as the seventh ...

, financial analyst, and IOC Vice President * Morinari WatanabeIOC member since 2018, Member of the

Tokyo 2020 The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

Organizing Committee, and President of the International Gymnastics Federation

Results

With 49 votes, Coventry became the first woman to hold the IOC Presidency, the youngest, and the first

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

n to do so.

Boxing inclusion in the 2028 Summer Olympics

During the session,

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

was officially included in the sports program for the

2028 Summer Olympics The 2028 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 2028 or LA 28, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place July 14–30, 2028, in the United States. Los Angeles ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, despite the IOC's suspension of the

International Boxing Association The International Boxing Association (IBA), previously known as the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA), is a sports organization that sanctions amateur boxing, amateur and professional boxing matches and awards world and subordinate ...

(IBA) due to concerns over governance and financial management. The events will now be sponsored by

World Boxing World Boxing is an international sports organization regulating amateur (Olympic-style) boxing. Formed on 13 April 2023, it currently consists of 106 member federations. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the internationa ...

, a new governing body replacing the IBA. Previously, President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach had announced that boxing's inclusion would be decided at some point in 2025.

References

External links