Sri Lanka, March 21 -- Kirsty Coventry was elected as the 10th president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday, making history as the first woman and the first African to lead the global Olympic movement.

The election was conducted through a secret ballot by over 100 IOC members during the 144th IOC Session in Greece. The 41-year-old, who won the vote in the first round, will officially take office after June 23, succeeding Thomas Bach, who has served as president since 2013.

"An extraordinary moment. As a 9-year-old girl, I never thought that I would be standing up here one day, getting to give back to this incredible movement of ours," Coventry said after her name was announced by Bach.

In the first round of voting...