Defiant Coe set to come full circle in IAAF bid

Eighties icon, former member of parliament and the architect of the 2012 London Olympics, Sebastian Coe is on the cusp of becoming one of the most powerful figures in sport.

The Briton's first job could be to defend athletics from stinging allegations of widespread doping which threaten to cast a dark cloud over this month's world championships in Beijing.

Coe, who won Olympic gold in the 1,500 metres at the 1980 and 1984 Games, appears to have edged closer to securing the presidency of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) after receiving strong backing from European countries.

The 58-year-old is being challenged by Sergey Bubka, Ukraine's former pole vault king, in the vote to succeed Lamine Diack as president, with the election taking place on August 19 in Beijing, before the start of the world championships.

Coe has vented his anger at claims in British and German media that the IAAF had failed to follow up on suspicious blood tests involving hundreds of athletes between 2001 and 2012, calling any such suggestion a "declaration of war" on the sport.

His manifesto includes a commitment to providing increased resources for anti-doping and the establishment of a new IAAF ethics department.

The image of a wild-eyed Coe, arms stretched out wide as he crossed the line to win gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics remains an iconic snapshot of an era marked by political tension and Olympic boycotts, while his rivalry with countryman Steve Ovett gripped a nation.

First elected an IAAF vice-president in 2007, Coe, who is also chairman of the British Olympic Committee, has matched his phenomenal record on the track with a proven record in politics and sports administration.
Having put on a successful London Olympics, Coe looks set to come full circle, if he holds off the challenge of Bubka to become IAAF president.

The former Conservative MP has been criss-crossing the globe to woo the association's 214 member federations, pledging to pay $100,000 (90,000 euros) over four years to each one to fund facilities, buy equipment and train athletes and coaches.

But as controversy rages over allegations made by the Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD, Coe's position on tackling the drug cheats could define his leadership credentials.

Coe wants to set up an independent anti-doping agency for track and field if he becomes president, while Bubka prefers the option of continuing to work alongside world anti-doping agency WADA.

However, Coe bristles at suggestions that the sport's governing body has been guilty of a cover-up following the potentially damaging revelations of leaked data from 12,000 blood tests.

"There is nothing in our history of competence and integrity in drug testing that warrants this kind of attack," he told BBC Radio. "The fightback has to start here."
Source: AFP