New IOC president shares vision for Olympic Movement

Kirsty Coventry, who made history by becoming the first woman, and the first African to lead the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Monday outlined her vision for the future of the Olympic Movement, grounded in its core values and potential for global unity.

The 41-year-old former Olympic swimming champion from Zimbabwe took over the presidency of the 131-year-old global sports body from her predecessor Thomas Bach on Monday during a handover ceremony at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Coventry secured the presidency in a decisive first-round vote during the 144th IOC Session on March 20, receiving 49 votes out of 97 ballots cast to defeat six other candidates. Her presidential term is eight years, with the possibility of seeking a four-year extension.

Thomas Bach, who has led the organization since 2013, will maintain contact to the IOC as honorary president.

"It's been an incredible day and it's been a wonderful morning where we got to share on many journeys that President Bach has taken over the 12 years. The last three months that he and I have gotten to work very closely together in this transition has been wonderful, and today was about showing that. It was really incredible, very emotional, I would say, but in a joyous way, in a celebratory way for the 12 years that President Bach has done and for the future. Good luck," Coventry said during an exclusive interview with the China Media Group, a key partner of the IOC.

A seven-time Olympic medalist for Zimbabwe, including two golds, Coventry is one of Africa's most decorated athletes. She has been an IOC member since 2013 and previously chaired the IOC Athletes' Commission, playing a key role in advocating for athletes' rights and welfare.

Coventry has also served as Zimbabwe's Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts, and Recreation since 2018.

She has made a clear commitment to using sport as a tool for social transformation and global unity and contributed to the vitality and influence of the Olympic Movement.

"We have to really ensure that we continue to stay youthful and vibrant and energized. And it's our job to protect the movement. It's our job to strengthen the movement. And I'm looking forward to doing that with all of the stakeholders. There were so many represented in the room and you yourselves were all there. So that was just wonderful. That touched our hearts. Moving forward, we have to continue to work together, which is one of Presidents Bach's biggest legacies is adding together, faster, higher, stronger together. And I'm looking forward to having all of those conversations with all of the stakeholders in the next few months to really understand how we want to move and what that's going to look like and then we're going to do it together," she said.

CMG, a predominant state media company by means of radio and television broadcasting in China, has achieved significant progress in broadcasting rights, signal production, and cultural collaboration with the IOC over the years. Coventry is keen to see more future cooperation between the two sides and looks forward to visiting China.

"It's been incredible. I still remember in 2008 for my Olympic Games going and having an interview and it was just wonderful. The partnership continues to strengthen and strengthen. And really even today, when you shared with President Bach and myself that I think 100 million people were watching live, it just shows the commitment of China for the Olympic Movement. That's very important and you have our full commitment back," she said.

New IOC president shares vision for Olympic Movement

From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.

At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.

Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.

"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.

"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.

Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.

According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.

Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.

Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.

At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.

"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.

At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.

"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.

Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction