Sawt Falasteen - New chief Coventry says IOC will launch gender working group

Coventry, who on Monday became the first woman to lead the Olympic movement, had already signalled a change of direction on the politically inflammatory and scientifically complex issue of gender.

On Thursday, after an executive board meeting and also after getting together with "just over 70" members, she said the IOC, which had previously left gender rules and testing to the governing bodies of individual sports, would go ahead with developing a policy.

"We are going to set up a working group," she told a press conference.

"It was agreed by members that the IOC should take a leading role in this and we should be the ones to bring together the experts, bring together the international federations."

"We understand that there will be differences depending on the sport," she said

She said she hoped to start the working group "within weeks" with the aim of finding "consensus" on a policy.

"It was very clear we need to protect the female category but we need to ensure fairness but we need to do so with a scientific approach," she said.

Coventry said when she was elected that even with Games coming up in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City-Utah she had no worries about dealing with United States President Donald Trump.

"I have been dealing with, let's say, difficult men in high positions since I was 20 years old," Coventry said in March.

Since then relationships between Trump and Los Angeles have become frayed over Trump's anti-immigration policies. There have also been concerns after Cuban and Senegalese athletes were denied US visas.

Coventry said she was confident that there would be no impact on the LA Games in 2028

"When it comes to LA there is so much goodwill at all levels of government to see that the Olympic Games are a huge success," she said, adding that the IOC would not yield to political pressure.

"The platform will be there to ensure that our values are stuck to," she said.

"Our values will be heard and we will be able to ensure successful games for our athletes from around the world."

Coventry said the IOC planned to set up a second working group looking at how long beforehand Olympic hosts should be named.

Both LA and Brisbane in 2032, had, she pointed out, 11 years of lead time, while the French Alps were only picked as hosts of the 2030 Winter Games in 2024.

"When is the best time to award?" she asked.

Coventry also said she wanted to increase IOC revenue, reduce costs, make members feel more involved in decision making and use Artificial Intelligence.

P.Tamimi--SF-PST