LATEST NEW RELEASE: New International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry supports banning transgender athletes
MADISON, Wis., March 25, 2025 /4 WINDS USA/ — Kirsty Coventry became the tenth President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). She is the first woman and African to be elected to this position, plus the youngest at age 41.
There were seven contenders, including World Athletics (track and field) President Sebastian Coe. Coventry will officially take charge on June 24, after incumbent Thomas Bach finishes his 12-year reign.
In the past, Coventry won many medals in swimming competing for Zimbabwe. She advocates for a ban on transgender athletes, arguing for restrictions based on biological sex. Coventry was the strongest candidate on this issue.
4 WINDS USA President Steve McConkey has opposed the LGBTQ sports movement since 2003. “We are pleased with the new International Olympic Committee president,” states McConkey. “The old system was stuck in the mud going in the wrong direction on different issues. We hope Kim makes international sports better with common sense principles, not radical ones. The best thing they can do is distance themselves from their United Nations partner.”
As he ministers to Olympic athletes, Steve stands up worldwide for Christian athletes. For example, he fights against atheists trying to stop Christian activity in sports and opposes those attacking Christian athletes.
In 2003, Steve started fighting against the International Olympic Committee’s transgender policies. He was the only person who stood against this publicly.
From there, the transgender sports movement spread to high schools, all the way to the Olympics. Steve has fought this agenda every step of the way. Eventually, Olympic track and field, swimming, and other sports have stopped transgender athletes.
Steve tried to sue the International Olympic Committee before the 2016 Olympics in Rio. He was concerned that intersex athletes (not transgender) would sweep the women’s 800 meters. That is exactly what happened as they were allowed to have high testosterone levels.
During the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Steve opposed the International Olympic Committee for telling the media to not use certain words to address athletes, including the words “husband and wife.”
In 2019, Steve asked Rasmussen polling to do a poll on transgender athletes. It was the first poll that was done on the subject in the United States. At that time, only 28% of Americans were for transgender athletes.
Steve McConkey is the President of 4 WINDS USA, a worldwide sports ministry, mostly in track and field (4WindsUSA.com). Starting in 1981, he has worked through eleven Olympic cycles. Steve shares the gospel, encourages Christians, stands up for Olympic athletes, and gives training advice. He was a USA National Track & Field Club Coach from 1982 through 1992. Steve graduated with honors from Western Kentucky University (Master of Public Health), Minnesota State University (BS-Community Health), and Webster High School (WI). Ministry centers have been in Eugene (OR), Dallas-Fort Worth (TX), Minneapolis-St. Paul (MN), and Madison (WI). Steve was born in Des Moines (IA) and moved to NW Wisconsin after the sixth grade. In recent years, he has had over 360 worldwide radio, article, and TV interviews.