Olympic history was written on the 23rd of june 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. 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 10^th IOC President at the 144^th 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 was first passed during the handover from Juan Antonio Samaranch to Jacques Rogge in 2001. 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 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.”

Photograph: IOC/Greg Martin

Addressing the assembled audience, 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.”