Lord Coe, whose civil name is Sebastian, is seen as Russia’s worst enemy in the world of sports. And has been for almost nine years. Such costs. Because Russia still has more friends in sports than we like to admit. But Lord Coe is obviously willing to pay the price. Exclusively excluded Ever since he took over as international athletics president in 2015, Coe has been the clearest spokesperson for the exclusion of the Russians, and later also the Belarusians. First because of state-controlled doping. Later due to the war of aggression against Ukraine. Not one Russian athlete has competed under their own flag in an international athletics championship since Coe took over. Nor will it be like this at the Olympics in Paris in a few days. Because Coe and his board of the International Association of Athletics Federations (WA) firmly and still say no. It has long been speculated whether WA was going to change its mind and allow a small number of Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate. As the IOC really wants. But a couple of weeks ago, Coe made his position in this discussion as clear as possible. First, the Lord traveled to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj. Coe then continued to Lviv to attend the Ukrainian Athletics Championships, which were also Olympic qualifiers. Here he paid tribute to the athletes’ struggle to manage to perform, despite the war. With that, Coe effectively ended the discussion: Russia is not allowed to participate in the Olympics’ most attractive sport. Not as themselves, not as so-called neutral athletes, as they do in a number of other sports in Paris. The president’s problem But this also constitutes Coe’s biggest dilemma. If he continues to stand on his principles, he will actually be able to destroy the chances of achieving his big goal: to become the next president of the International Olympic Committee, IOC. As is well known, the IOC and Thomas Bach have decided that certain athletes from the two warring nations will be able to participate as so-called “neutrals”. APPROACHING PARIS: There are only a few days until this summer’s Olympics in Paris start. Here is French President Emmanuel Macron (left) together with IOC President Thomas Bach (right) in connection with an event on Tuesday. Photo: LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP But at the same time, they have left the final decision to each of the special federations that govern the 32 different sports that will be competed in. The International Athletics Federation has flatly said no all along. This could cost Coe the chance to become the sports world’s most powerful leader. Because even though he has support in his own federation and in a number of Western powers, sympathy for Coe’s firm line is nowhere near as widespread around the world. Coe advocates an argument that for many nations is perceived as distinctly European, or at least Western. And when it comes to voting on who will be the new president after Bach, each nation has one vote. The nations which are determined to exclude the belligerent powers are great and powerful, but they are few. Perhaps no more than a dozen. Out of over 200 nations in total. This could therefore be decisive when the new IOC president is to be voted on in Athens next year. Speech is silver Perhaps the battle is already lost anyway. If you are to be considered as the new president of the IOC at all, there is a golden, albeit unwritten, rule that you do not run an election campaign. One should not even acknowledge one’s possible candidacy. Others will recommend, others will suggest, others will negotiate on your behalf. Then you must bow forward and be the one the entire sports world kisses on the hand. Lord Sebastian Coe has already partially broken with tradition. In January last year, he stated in an interview with The Times that he did not rule out standing as a candidate to succeed the current president, German Thomas Bach, when he is scheduled to retire in 2025. BISLETT HERO: Sebastian Coe was in his time among the world’s best middle-distance runners and was often seen at Bislett. Here from when he ran to the world record in the 1000 meters at Bislett in 1981. Photo: NTB Run and paid That in itself was too much. IOC President Bach’s irritation at Coe’s apparent breach of custom was not hidden. And really haven’t since. Coe, for his part, does not seem particularly affected by the dissatisfaction. Recently he announced that athletics, as the first Olympic sport, would pay a separate prize money to the gold winners at the Paris Olympics. This created reactions, especially in the other special Olympic confederations, which do not have as generous finances as athletics. It was a breach of a 128-year-old tradition. And could not be seen as anything other than election meat at 50,000 dollars per Olympic champion. If you don’t have the IOC management on the team, you can at least ally with the most attractive sales objects for the Olympic brand, namely the athletes. And hope it’s enough to win an election. Back and forth are the same distance In 2025, German Thomas Bach has had his 12 presidential years, divided into three periods. This is the maximum period allowed by the Olympic Charter. Currently. But when the IOC held its annual session in Mumbai in the fall of 2023, the proposal for an extension of the presidential term came to the public for the first time. And Bach refused to immediately dismiss the idea. Perhaps it was out of courtesy to the proposers. Maybe it was because it was alluring. The IOC meets again this week. Then we will know whether the necessary change to the charter has been formally proposed. Which will enable four new years with German Bach as president. Should that happen, it would be a very disturbing signal. As for the future of the IOC. And as for Thomas Bach’s democratic disposition, if he were to say yes. But perhaps Bach thinks it is worth the price to prevent the successor being named Sebastian Coe. Lord against ladies Thomas Bach has been clear anyway that he wants his successor as the IOC’s tenth president to be a woman for the first time. The preferred candidate is believed to be one of the best swimmers of all time, Kirsty Coventry from Zimbabwe. SUCCESSOR? Kirsty Coventry (right) is considered a possible successor to Thomas Bach (left). Photo: AP Coventry is both an IOC member and sports minister in his home country. Another candidate who has been mentioned regularly is the IOC’s current vice-president, Nicole Hoevertsz. She is a former synchronized swimmer and comes from the Caribbean island of Aruba. But being a well-qualified woman is not necessarily enough when the competitor is a very popular president of the Olympics’ largest and most important special federation, an IOC member and, in addition, former head of the successful Olympics in London in 2012. Sebastian Coe is, in short, the perfect candidate. At least to be a man. In addition, this is also the last chance before he passes the somewhat stretchable age limit of 70 years to be elected as IOC president. Coventry, by comparison, is only 40 years old, and has three potential decades ahead of him in the IOC. All we know as of today is that the IOC will have a new president. The question is whether they want someone with principles. Published 22.07.2024, at 12.36 p.m
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