No sooner had the crucial presentations for the biggest job in sport ended than the guessing games began. Sebastian Coe mixed flattery with oratory over the course of his 15-minute pitch for the job of International Olympic Committee president, before promising the IOC’s 110 members he would lead them into a glorious new era. But then came the caveat.
It came when Lord Coe was asked how he believed he stood in a contest that some observers increasingly believe is a direct battle between him and the Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr.
“I have no idea,” replied Coe, before telling the story of how his chief executive, Paul Deighton, had been puzzled by how London had only just won the right to host the 2012 Olympics, “because everybody I’ve spoken to said they voted for London”.
“So probably hidden in that is the answer,” he added.
In the murky world of IOC politics, Coe is right to be cautious. However, he clearly believes his message of empowering IOC members and protecting women’s sport is giving him momentum in the contest to succeed Thomas Bach. The election is in March.
“The closer you get to the field of play, the more you know what the chances are of having a successful outcome,” said Coe. “And there’s still a lot to play for here. I’m not in bad shape. There’s definitely support there. There is also a greater appetite for change than I probably suspected. That’s been made very clear to me.”
Coe also drew on the joy and success of London 2012 as he delivered his presentation to members. “Stand outside yourself as I did on that summer night in London and just look at what you are part of,” he told them. “In this room are people of extraordinary ability and experience and you are one of them.
“Brains the size of planets. Strength of character and determination in quantities that simply cannot be found in any equivalent group in the world. A purpose and a passion that outpaces anyone.
“Now imagine if we put all of that to work, that passion, that purpose,” he added. “Not just use this room as a rubber stamp. Not just meet together to nod through work done elsewhere. If leadership sits with me then power will sit with you.”
Under the IOC’s Byzantine rules for this election, it is hard to be sure how his message is landing with the IOC’s membership, which includes seven members of various royal families, as well as former heads of state, senior business figures and successful Olympians.
However, after their presentations the seven candidates vying for the top job came to speak to the press for 10 minutes where their positions were teased out and interrogated. So what did we learn?
First, Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan and David Lappartient, the French president of cycling’s governing body, the UCI, both want Russia inside the sporting fold – albeit under certain conditions.
Second, Morinari Watanabe, the Japanese president of international gymnastics, is confident that his plan to stage a 24-hours-a-day Olympics across five different continents has merit. “In my opinion, many people want the revolution,” he replied.
And finally, Coe’s policies have been adopted by some of his key rivals. Kirsty Coventry, for instance, has become a lot more forthright in recent weeks in calling for women’s sport to be protected after the controversy surrounding the boxing tournament in Paris.
“As a female athlete you want to be able to walk on to a level playing field,” she said. “And it’s our job as the IOC to ensure that we’re going to create an environment that allows for every athlete to feel safe.”
Meanwhile Samaranch, a longtime IOC member, is also now talking more about empowering members – another key plank of Coe’s manifesto.
“I’ve always defined an election as a place where the worst ideas get derided and the best ideas get nicked,” said Coe. “I’m rather flattered that there seem to be people moving on to territory that I’ve been not just talking about, but doing something about, for the last 10-15 years.
“The only sadness is we’re still talking about some of those things when some have been in a position not just to talk about it, but to have actually done something about it.”
