This will be his third and final term as head of the international athletics federation, World Athletics. Sebastian Coe was re-elected Thursday, August 16, as president of the body, for four additional years, during the 54eëø congress of the latter, in Budapest.
The 66-year-old Briton presented himself without opposition to his renewal, which comes two days before the start of the World Championships in the Hungarian capital. According to the statutes of World Athletics, he will not be able to run for a fourth term.
The double Olympic champion in the 1,500m (1980, 1984), former Conservative MP and patron of the London 2012 Games, had recovered, in 2015, an international athletics federation plagued by corruption, in particular from the ex-president Lamine Diak.
“My first four years were spent salvaging the ship. We were in a very bad positionrecalled Mr. Coe. The next four were devoted to Russia [cible d’une suspension de sept ans pour dopage]to the protection of the female category [avec un règlement controversé sur les athlètes présentant des différences de développement sexuel] and highlight the meetings. The next four, I’m going to focus on the future of our sport for the next thirty, forty years. » And to add: “I want to focus on the essence of the competitions, to make them interesting, expected, well-paced and appealing to young people. »
“Very clear” position on Ukraine
His first two terms were marked by the creation in 2017 of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), responsible among other things for the fight against doping, and by his intransigence towards Russia, first suspended for a scandal. doping and, since 2022, for the invasion of Ukraine.
Sebastian Coe ruled again “very unlikely”Thursday, the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Paris Games in 2024, remaining on a firm position despite the opening requested by the International Olympic Committee.
“I continue to follow events in Ukraine, with a specific working group. Our position with the council is very clear, for reasons of integrity within the competitions. I would be very surprised if the new council [élu jeudi] change position »he insisted at a press conference after the World Athletics congress.
The world championships start on Saturday in Budapest. As was the case last year in Eugene (Oregon), no Russians or Belarusians will take part.