International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry attended the judo competition at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on the second day of action, where she met former Olympic champions and officials from the International Judo Federation.
Coventry’s visit came as Senegal hosts the first Olympic sporting event on African soil. The Games also have a particular significance for the IOC president, who chaired the organisation’s Co-ordination Commission for Dakar 2026 before being elected president in 2025.
A former swimmer from Zimbabwe, Coventry won two Olympic gold medals and seven Olympic medals in total. In 2025, she became the first woman and the first African to lead the International Olympic Committee.
During her visit, accompanied by Larissa Kiss, the IJF Delegate for judo, Coventry watched the competition and met several prominent figures from the sport.
They included Slovenia’s Tina Trstenjak, Olympic and world champion and current IJF Referee Director; Hungary’s Hedvig Karakas, a world medallist and former Olympian who now serves as IJF Sport Director; and France’s Clarisse Agbegnenou, a three-time Olympic champion across individual and team events and six-time world champion. Agbegnenou is attending the Dakar Games as an Athlete Role Model.
Tina Trstenjak with Kirsty Coventry
Coventry also met members of the IJF Executive Committee who were present at the venue.
The presence of these former champions in their current roles reflects the different paths they have taken within judo beyond their competitive careers. Trstenjak now works in refereeing, Karakas in sports administration and Agbegnenou in direct engagement with young athletes.
Meanwhile, the second day of competition produced three new champions. Fatima Supygaliyeva of Kazakhstan, Jolina Reinhold of Germany and Maks Cebulj of Slovenia claimed gold medals. Nine medal contests were held across three categories, with some decided by ippon and others by narrow scoring margins.
Coventry’s visit took place as young judoka competed in their first Olympic event, giving the IOC president an opportunity to follow the next generation of the sport at close quarters.
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