Olympic history was written today in a highly symbolic and emotional ceremony at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, to mark the handover of the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from Thomas Bach to Kirsty Coventry, which officially takes place tonight at midnight. Bach, an Olympic champion in fencing for Germany at the Olympic Games Montreal 1976, has been leading the organisation for 12 years following his election as the 9th IOC President in 2013.

On Olympic Day, which takes place on 23 June each year to commemorate the founding of the modern Olympic Games in 1894 based on the initiative by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, Bach symbolically passed the key for Olympic House from one Olympic champion to another in a moment of historical significance. Coventry, a double Olympic champion in swimming from Zimbabwe (2004, 2008), was elected as the 10th IOC President at the 144th IOC Session this March in Olympia, Greece. She is the first woman and the first African ever to hold the IOC’s highest office and has been elected for a term of eight years.

The key, designed by Spanish artist André Ricard, who also created the torch of the Olympic Games Barcelona 1992 and the Olympic fire crucible at the Olympic Museum, was first passed during the handover from Juan Antonio Samaranch to Jacques Rogge in 2001.

More than 700 assembled guests – including IOC Members, athletes, Olympic Movement representatives, delegates from international organisations, political leaders and IOC staff – witnessed an emotional ceremony. When the key was handed over, the audience rose for a standing ovation.

A standing ovation also followed when Thomas Bach received the Olympic Order in Gold from Kirsty Coventry. The Olympic Order is the highest honour granted by the International Olympic Committee to individuals who have rendered outstanding services to the Olympic cause through their contribution to the Olympic Movement.

In his speech, Thomas Bach, who was elected IOC Honorary President for Life during the 144th IOC Session in March, said: “Today is a day of gratitude. Today is a day of confidence. Today is a day of joy. There are many emotions I feel in this moment – but most of all, I feel gratitude.

“Gratitude, above all, to our beloved founder Pierre de Coubertin — whose body rests just a stone’s throw from here, and whose heart lies in Ancient Olympia. To him we owe everything. I am sure he is watching us today from his Olympic heights, with that familiar smile, and that he feels content to see his – and our – Olympic Movement flourishing, true to his vision and more relevant than ever.”

Bach was deeply grateful to his fellow IOC Members for the support he received during his term, “because I have never walked this path alone. We have reformed, we have renewed, we have united around the values that define our Olympic Movement.”

He continued: “To everyone who brings our Olympic community to life – the athletes, the National Olympic Committees and International Federations, our TOP Partners and Media Rights-Holders, and our devoted IOC staff, guided by our Director General: each of you has shaped this, our shared Olympic journey, in your own way. Your belief in our mission, your unwavering support – I have felt it every step. In difficult moments, it was your support that helped us to navigate forward. Without all of you, the Olympic Movement would not be where it is today.”

Addressing the assembled audience, Bach reminded them that his decision not to continue as IOC President beyond his tenure was rooted in his belief that “new times call for new leadership”. He went on to say: “at our last Session in Greece, you – my fellow IOC Members – elected this new leader. You have placed your trust in someone whose life story is deeply rooted in the Olympic Movement. As an Olympian, she knows what it means to live the Olympic values. She knows how to lead with courage. She is driven by a desire to give back to our Olympic Movement that has shaped her life. Now she makes history: Mrs Kirsty Coventry.”

Bach explained: “with her election, you have also sent a powerful message to the world: the IOC continues to evolve. As the first female and first African to hold this position – and indeed the youngest IOC President since Pierre de Coubertin – she reflects the truly global nature and the youthful, forward-looking spirit of our Olympic community.”

He concluded: “She brings her own unique style and her own dynamic perspective. She has a new voice that resonates with the young 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 is full of gratitude, full of confidence and full of joy.

In this spirit of gratitude, confidence and joy, I hand over the keys of Olympic House to Mrs Kirsty Coventry, the 10th President of the International Olympic Committee.”

In her address, Kirsty Coventry thanked Thomas Bach for all his work: “President Bach, the Movement has been served by you, as you just mentioned, with pure passion and purpose for 12 years.

“You have kept us united through some of the most turbulent times, and you've led us to an incredible Paris [Olympic Games], which I hope was one of the best ways we could all say thank you.”

She continued, saying: “We look forward to making you proud in the future. You've left us with many legacies. One of those being: ‘together’. And that's something that I hope we all feel today. “So, thank you from the bottom of my heart for leading us with all that passion and that purpose for so many years, and never wavering once from our values. It means a lot, especially in today's world.”

She told the audience about her first meeting with President Bach as a new member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission when he said to her and her newly-elected Commission members: “[He said:] ‘Even though you'll be at the very back of the room, I want to see your hands raised, and I want to hear you.’ And that stuck with us as athletes. And it made a huge difference, because from the very first moment, you set the tone.”

She also highlighted the important role of family and friends: “To all of my family and friends who have always kept me grounded, some of my closest friends still would not be able to tell you what race I swam in at all through any of my career.

“And this helped, because it kept me grounded and focused and humble. I was very fortunate to have strong women around me from a very early age. From my grandmothers, to my mum, to many of you women here in this room today. To my coach, Kim. Kim, in Athens in 2004, our very first medal, your little baby was seven months old.

“My little baby today is seven months old too. Who knew the things that you would be teaching me outside of the pool, not just to be a great athlete, but to be a great mum and a great wife. I'm hoping that I imparted a little bit of knowledge to you.”

Paying tribute to her family, Coventry said: “To my husband, Ty, Ella, and her little sister, Lily, you guys are my rocks, my inspiration. You make me a better person. You make me a better mum and a better wife.”

She said that her children are constant reminders of why the work for the Olympic Movement is so meaningful: “You are a constant reminder of why this Movement is relevant, why it needs to change, why we need to embrace the new ways, and you'll be a constant reminder for many years to come on the decisions that we all take together.”

Coventry also went on to thank her parents who supported her all the way to becoming an Olympic champion and now the IOC President: “To my mum and dad who are here today, who would have thought so many cake sales and selling of burgers would ever have led to this moment? There were many, many hundreds of cakes and thousands of hamburgers sold so that they could sacrifice sending me and my teammates on our next adventure. And I'm so grateful to both of you for everything that you've done.”

Coventry thanked the millions of parents around the world for the sacrifice that they make daily for their children to achieve their dreams.

She said the Olympic Movement is creating a platform for generations to come 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.”

“IOC Members are the guardians of this Movement,” she said. “As the Olympic Movement, as Federations, as NOCs, as our sponsors and our partners, 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. These are not things taken lightly, and I'm looking forward to working with each and every one of you to make sure that we continue to inspire, continue to change lives, and in our divided world today, continue to be a beacon of hope.”

She compared the Olympic Movement to a spider’s web, which is complex, strong and resilient: “But if one tiny little piece of that spider’s web breaks, it automatically becomes weakened. Our Movement, each and every single one of you, is that spiderweb. It's complex, it's beautiful, and it's strong.

“But it only works if we work together, and if we remain united. Every single one of you plays a very significant role in our very important ecosystem. Working together over these next few years and consistently finding ways to strengthen and keep united our Movement will ensure and will allow for all of us that we could wake up daily and continue to inspire the next generation, to continue to change lives, and most importantly, to make dreams come true.”

She concluded: “I am really honoured that I get to walk this journey with you, and I cannot wait for anything that lies ahead, because I know I have the best team to support me, and our Movement in these next eight years.”

Earlier in the morning, Bach and Coventry visited the cemetery in Lausanne, where Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the IOC, is buried. They laid a wreath to honour his memory on this Olympic Day.

List of IOC Presidents

1894-1896: Demetrius Vikelas

1896-1925: Pierre de Coubertin

1925-1942: Henri de Baillet-Latour

1942-1946: J. Sigfrid Edström (Vice-President and Acting President)

1946-1952: J. Sigfrid Edström

1952-1972: Avery Brundage

1972-1980: Lord Killanin

1980-2001: Juan Antonio Samaranch

2001-2013: Jacques Rogge

2013-2025: Thomas Bach

2025 onwards: Kirsty Coventry