Dubai: Kirsty Coventry, one of Zimbabwe’s biggest sporting icons who has seven swimming Olympic medals, will be one of the speakers at the International Sports Innovation Conference to be held at the Hilton Al Habtoor on November 18.

The only white in Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s list of ministers, 36-year-old Coventry has been picked as one of the speakers because of her influence in promoting the noble values of tolerance and peace and encouraging youth from different backgrounds to embrace sport.

The conference — organised under the theme ‘Tolerance and Peace in Sport’ — will see participation from a number of top sports leaders from around the globe alongside the former Olympic champion swimmer and now Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation in Zimbabwe.