In at the deep end Coventry has made history at IOC but bulging in-tray offers early test of her steel

A new day has broken, has it not? Tony Blair's 1997 election victory speech comes to mind on what will be a historic day for sport. Because in Lausanne today, Kirsty Coventry will become the first female and first African president of the International Olympic Committee in its 131-year-old history.

- Sean Ingle

It has been a dizzying ascent. In 2016, Coventry stepped out of an Olympic pool for the final time in Rio. Now, nine years later at 41, she is the most powerful person in sport. Yet as she takes charge, there are some who suspect that the new dawn will look rather like the old one - and that her predecessor, Thomas Bach, and his administration, will remain puppet masters behind the throne.

After all, it was Bach who identified Coventry's leadership abilities and pushed her candidacy before the election in March. And with the mother of two from Zimbabwe not yet having significant business or global political experience, there is a school of thought that believes she will rely on Bach and others in the IOC.

Yet having spoken to several people in the IOC ecosystem, I wonder whether that analysis might turn out to be incorrect. Because the early signs are that Coventry may end up being a lot more independent than Bach and the IOC administration were expecting.