Politics in sports

22.01.2023

Coe warns whoever succeeds Bach as IOC President faces tough job as drops hint he will stand

Coe warns whoever succeeds Bach as IOC President faces tough job as drops hint he will stand
  • Members of the discussion:

  • Last reply:


World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has claimed that he is already doing his “ultimate” job but has admitted he is considering a bid to succeed Thomas Bach as head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The German is due to step down after completing his 12-year term limit at the IOC Session in Athens in 2025.

So far, no-one has officially declared that they are planning to put themselves forward to succeed Bach.

Many are believed to be waiting to see whether Bach tries to have his term extended, although it is increasingly being whispered that family pressure is set to persuade him to end his spell at the helm of the IOC.

insidethegames had reported several times that Coe was seen as a potential candidate.
I’m not ruling it in and I’m certainly not ruling it out,
Coe told The Times in an interview.
Kirsty Coventry, right, is widely believed to be the choice of Thomas Bach, left, to succeed him as IOC President, if he steps down in 2025 
It is believed that if he does leave, Bach wants a female to succeed him.

The leading candidate is thought to be Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwe’s double Olympic swimming champion and now her country’s Sports Minister.

Bach last year appointed her to lead the IOC Coordination Commission for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane.

Aruba’s Nicole Hoevertsz, a former synchronised swimmer, who is now head of the IOC’s Coordination Commission for Los Angeles 2028, is another name that has been mentioned.

Japan’s Morinari Watanabe, President of the International Gymnastics Federation, and Juan Antonio Samaranch, whose father led the IOC between 1980 and 2001, are also seen as potential contenders.

Having joined the IOC Athletes' Commission together in 1981, Coe's relationship with Bach has deteriorated in recent years.

The main difference has been over their differing stances to the doping crisis involving Russia.

Under Coe, World Athletics have adopted a much harsher stance, banning the Russian Athletics Federation since November 2015, while the IOC have allowed them to continue competing under various different banners.
Anybody who takes that role in 2025 needs to be asking some important questions,
Coe told The Times.
Does sport really, genuinely, understand the challenge that sits out there before it — its relevance, its salience, navigating the most complicated political landscape while holding out to its moral compass?
Relations between Sebastian Coe, left, and Thomas Bach, right, have cooled in recent years due to differences over Russia 
Coe was elected as World Athletics President in 2015, succeeding the now disgraced Lamine Diack, and elected for a second term in 2019.

He has already signalled that he will stand for a third and final term when World Athletics holds it Congress in Budapest on August 17 and 18.
I genuinely feel that the job I’m doing now represents the ultimate for me,
Coe said.
You join an athletics club at 11 and one day have the opportunity to grab leadership of the sport and shape it.
This has never been a stepping-stone to something else.
The 66-year-old Coe joined the IOC member in July 2020 and, if he were to be elected as its President, would need his term limit extended beyond the mandatory retirement age of 70.

But that would be a formality.

If he were to succeed Bach, Coe would bring a unique skill set to the role having been a double Olympic gold medallist, President of the Organising Committee at London 2012, chairman of the British
Olympic Association and head of World Athletics.
Top
Top of discussion

The 2023 World Figure Skating Championships Conclude in a Blaze of Glory for Japan

This Championship was pretty amazing! And it showed that without Russians it didn’t become less interesting. The public doesn’t need quads by 15 year olds to enjoy the competition

Elena Anikina: "We hope, especially considering the position and strategy which IOC has now, that very soon the situation will be changed"

Apparently, soon Russia will have to build luge-bobsleigh tracks not only in Russia, but also in partner countries!) In terms of competitiveness for Russian bobsleigh, this is a st

Alexander Tkachev: "We make sure that our athletes get the most important thing - the opportunity to compete"

Yes, it is an interesting vector of development, it is also important here what projects and initiatives Russia can offer for Asian countries? Will we be able to host the Asian Che

Israeli gymnastics hit by allegations parents were asked to bribe judges

A great case, it seems tha now we need an analogue of WADA, who will investigate attempts to bribe judges, etc. It will be very interesting.

Sport and politics: my experiences as an athlete

Все это лишь еще раз доказывает, что спорт должен оставаться вне политики. К сожалению, чаще всего это просто слова.

Olympian, Nassar survivor Tasha Schwikert Moser on USA Gymnastics' board of directors

Очень круто, когда человек уверен, что именно он может что-то изменить, а особенно когда человек знает спорт изнутри. Уважать!

Disqualified for running in a hijab, Noor Alexandria Abukaram turned pain into action

Хочу поблагодарить эту спортсменку за то, что она не побоялась поставить свою историю в пример. Я считаю, что спортсмен может раскрыть свою религию. Хиджаб – выявленная черта мусул

Suni Lee finds support at Auburn after Olympics 'impostor syndrome'

Случайно, я знаю об этой спортсменке, сделал один вывод, что она точно не блещет, она очень солнечный человек. Жаль, что кто-то не был счастлив, когда она заслужила золото для свое

'Anesthetic injections are....' - WADA chief on doping accusation on French Open winner Rafael Nadal

Да, конечно, спорт — это преодоление себя. А к Рафаэлю вопросов нет, только респект за шикарную игрушку. Но все же, мне кажется, нельзя на сто процентов сказать, что теннисистка то

Give us a chance

Yes, I think athlets from foreign countries understand that all Championships and tournaments are not competitive enough without Russian athlets. I think one day when the situatio

Sport and Politics. Instead of afterword

The question of connection between Sports and Politics was always "exstra burning". So I am interested in your opinion: where should be the border between sport and politics and wh

“Oh, come on, where’s the medals?” or Do the media force athletes too hard?

I am pleased to announce that the British duck has been broken. Team GB will win at least one silver by the end of the Games on Sunday following their win in the Men's Curling semi

We use cookies to improve the site and your interaction with it. If you continue to use this website, you are giving :appName permission to collect and store cookies on your device.