Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe was elected president of the International Olympic Committee Thursday, becoming the Switzerland-based organization’s first woman and first African leader. “This is an extraordinary moment,

The head of the French Olympic Committee, David Lappartient, won’t seek a new term later this year after losing to Kirsty Coventry in the race for the International Olympic Committee’s top job.

Kirsty Coventry was elected president of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday and became the first woman and first African to get perhaps the biggest job in world sports. "It is a signal that we are truly global," the Zimbabwe sports minister and two-time Olympic swimming gold medalist said.