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Hello, I'm Mark Coles, and for the documentary from the BBC World Service,

I'm bringing you a special edition of my programme profile.

Right, let's go curling.

The Winter Olympics up and running, or rather skiing and skating.

Lots of sporty stuff on snow and ice over the next couple of weeks.

The US Vice President even bringing ice agents to the opening party.

Overseeing it all, lamenting what she calls political distractions,

is the woman we're profiling, Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry.

Anything that is distracting from these games is sad, right?

But what is keeping my faith alive is that when that opening ceremony happens

and those athletes start competing,

suddenly the world remembers magic and the spirit that the games have.

That's her, the new president of the International Olympic Committee, its first female, first

African head in its 131 year history. At just 42 years old, it's youngest as well.

A former swimmer with seven Olympic medals to her name, Golden Girl, they call her back home

in Harari, Coventry, the most decorated African Olympian ever, and now the most powerful

person in sport. This month's Winter Games in Italy, her first Olympics in charge.

She's going to prioritize athletes for sure.

I have no doubt she is going to be an extremely successful and remarkable president.

She's the first female president.

I really think that this was destiny, not just for her, but for the movement.

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