During the 144th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), held last week in Costa Navarino, Greece, Isidoros Kouvelos, president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and former director of the International Olympic Academy, exemplified the warm and comfortable welcome the Olympic family received in the land that gave birth to the entire Olympic Movement. The affection and warmth were the perfect accompaniment to an event charged with professionalism and symbolism, as it welcomed the historic moment with the election of Kirsty Coventry as the first woman president of the IOC.
The vote had a special significance as it was held in Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. During the opening ceremony, held at the International Olympic Academy in ancient Olympia, Kouvelos stressed the importance of this event for the Olympic Movement: “It was an excellent and historic session, which the Hellenic Olympic Committee was honored to organize and whose opening ceremony took place in the premises of the International Olympic Academy in ancient Olympia, the land where the Olympic Games were born and where, for the first time in history, a woman was elected to lead the IOC.”
BACH’S LEGACY AND FUTURE WITH KIRSTY COVENTRY
Kouvelos dedicated words of thanks to outgoing IOC President Thomas Bach, highlighting “his leadership and contribution to the Olympic Movement.” At the same time, he congratulated Kirsty Coventry on her election as IOC president, “taking the torch from a successful president, our friend Thomas Bach, we all look with hope to the new challenges, with the continued wise support of Thomas Bach. Congratulations to the new IOC President, Kirsty Coventry. Her leadership, dedication and deep commitment to Olympic values will guide the Movement into a new era. We stand ready to support her in this important mission.”
HIS LEGACY AT THE IOA
After leading the International Olympic Academy for 16 years, Kouvelos expressed his desire to continue working “with the same enthusiasm to spread the Olympic ideals through innovative educational programs. The IOA, which I had the honor to lead for the past 16 years, looks forward to working with you, Kirsty Coventry, with the same enthusiasm as we did with Thomas Bach, to spread Olympic values around the world through innovative educational programs.”
In his final message, Kouvelos invited IOC members to “carry with them the wisdom of the sacred land of Olympia and to return in the future to enjoy its beauty.” His speech reflected Greece’s pride in hosting this historic session and its continued commitment to the Olympic Movement.
