Kirsty Coventry has pledged to open talks on Russia's potential return to the Games

Incoming International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry has said she does not support banning athletes from the Olympics based on their countries' involvement in armed conflicts. In an interview to Sky News on Friday, she also announced plans to initiate discussions about Russia's return to competition. 

Russian and Belarusian athletes were prohibited from competing in the Games shortly after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. The IOC also insisted that international sports federations follow suit, leading to both countries being excluded from major global sporting events. The committee later allowed some athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the Games as individuals under neutral flags, including at the Paris Olympics in 2024, while national teams have remained barred.

When asked by Sky News a day after being elected to the post whether she opposed banning nations from the Olympics due to military conflicts, Coventry said: "I am, but I believe each situation must be considered individually."

Coventry, who is now set to become the first woman and the first African to head the IOC, also pledged to establish a task force to develop "some policies and some guiding frameworks that we as the movement can use to make decisions when we are brought into conflicts." 

The former Olympic swimmer, who won two gold medals for Zimbabwe, admitted that there are "horrific conflicts in Africa at the moment," highlighting the necessity to protect and support athletes, ensuring they have the opportunity to come to the Olympic Games.

Asked about allowing the Russian national team to return to the Olympics in 2026, Coventry said: "We're going to have that discussion with a collective group, as I'd said, with the task force."

Coventry was elected as the 10th president of the IOC on Thursday, having secured a majority of the vote. The 41-year-old came ahead of Spain's Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. and Britain's Sebastian Coe, who finished second and third in the voting, respectively.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Coventry on her IOC election, saying that her "experience and dedication to the true advancement of the noble Olympic ideals will ensure your success in such a responsible position."

Russian officials have repeatedly slammed Western nations for politicizing international sports and exerting pressure on sports federations to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes for political reasons.