Sebastian Coe: IOC presidential candidate would entertain Saudi Arabia Olympic bid if elected

Sebastian Coe would entertain a bid from Saudi Arabia to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games if elected the next president of the International Olympic Committee.

Coe, a double Olympic champion and current president of World Athletics, is one of seven candidates aiming to succeed Thomas Bach as IOC president.

The candidates will present their manifestos in front of the full IOC membership at the end of January before the vote to elect a new IOC president takes place at an IOC session in Greece between March 18-21, 2025.

As president of World Athletics, Coe has navigated several tricky issues such as doping, banning Russia and the protection of female athletes and the female category, experience he believes equips him to fill arguably the most powerful position in global sport.

Why is Coe running?

If elected, Coe would view being the president of the IOC as a passion, not a job. He described it as a ‘dance he could not sit out’ and previously told Sky Sports it’s a role he believes he was born for.

Coe was one of athletics’ leading middle-distance runners throughout the 1970s and 80s, winning two Olympic gold medals at the Moscow and Los Angeles Games. In 1979 he broke three world records – 800m, 1500m and mile – in 41 days – with the 800m record he set in 1981 standing for 16 years.

As a sports administrator, 19 years ago he persuaded the IOC membership to award London the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the days and weeks leading up to the vote for those games, London appeared to be behind Paris and Madrid, but Coe’s political know-how won the IOC over.

After delivering the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Coe ran for election as president of the IAAF, Athletics world governing body in 2015. Winning the election, he took over a sport somewhat in trouble under the leadership of its previous president, Lamine Diack.

Coe changed the governing body’s name from the IAAF to World Athletics and, controversially at the time, banned Russia from international athletics for state-sponsored doping.

What does Coe want to do?

Coe believes “too much power lies in the hands of too few people” within the IOC.

Should be become president, he is not seeking a revolution as he acknowledges there are some “really good people” within the IOC, but he does want significant reform.

He says the IOC is out of balance and needs a reset around sport. Sport and the athletes must be at the heart and centre of all the decision making along with the entire membership of the IOC. He wants to preside over a collaborative presidency.

Issues for Coe to deal with?

Coe caused some consternation at the Paris 2024 Olympics when he announced that track and field athletes would be awarded prize money.

It saw gold medallists receive US$50,000, the first time prize money had officially been awarded at an Olympics, with Coe of the belief that athletes should be the beneficiaries of the financial rewards on offer at an Olympics.

As president of World Athletics, he has overseen a policy determining the ‘female category’ which has banned transgender women from competing in that category. The rule states “no transgender athlete who had gone through male puberty would be permitted to compete in female world ranking competitions.”

If Coe becomes the new IOC president, issues around the protection of the ‘female category’ and prize money will be addressed.

He wants to debate and collaboratively bring in new policies for the IOC and believes had the organisation had a clear policy around transgender athletes and those with DSD (Differences in sexual development) at Paris 2024, the controversy and mis-reporting around two female boxers would have been avoided.

Coe says he is greatly concerned by climate change, but believes sport has a unique role to play in sustainability and changing attitudes with the Olympics being the marquee ‘Mega Sporting Event’ along with the FIFA World Cup.

Many view huge sporting events as having an adverse effect on climate change, whereas Coe believes the platform can drive change especially through a younger generation who are concerned by climate change.

What’s Coe’s stance on Russia?

Russia are currently banned by the IOC, with athletes from both Russia and Belarus only allowed to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics as neutral athletes.

Just 32 neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus competed in Paris, with none allowed to show any association with Russia or Belarus, logos, flags or have any anthem played.

The IOC had banned Russia and Belarus due to the war in Ukraine and the annexation of four regions within Ukraine.

World Athletics, of which Seb Coe is president, went one step further at Paris 2024 with no track and field athletes from those countries allowed to compete even as neutral athletes.

Could Saudi Arabia host the Olympics?

The short answer is yes.

Many people and organisations have expressed concern at the awarding of the 2034 FIFA World Cup to Saudi Arabia due to concerns over human rights within the Kingdom.

If elected as IOC president, Coe’s position on Saudi Arabia expressing an interest in hosting an Olympics and Paralympics is that he would listen and talk.

Coe said his belief is that it is better to shine a spotlight than shy away from difficult conversations, and he would expect to have robust conversations around issues such as human rights.

He also believes that the IOC would need to consider moving a summer Olympics from its traditional northern hemisphere summer months to winter if heat and athlete welfare became an issue.

Who is Coe up against?

Six other candidates are vying to become the next president of the IOC.

The only female candidate is Kirsty Coventry from Zimbabwe. Coventry was a decorated Olympic swimmer, winning gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. After retiring she has been heavily involved in sports administration, including being Zimbabwe’s Sports Minister.

Another recognisable name is Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch. He is the son of former IOC President who bore his name. Samaranch Snr was IOC President for 21 years between 1980 and 2001.

The other candidates include another British hopeful, Johan Eliasch, who is the current president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein from Jordan, David Lappartient of France, who is the president of the UCI – cycling’s global governing body – and Morinari Watanabe from Japan.

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