Sebastian Coe has offered the clearest indication yet that he will run to be the next president of the International Olympic Committee - and vowed to protect women’s sport should he land the role.
Current IOC president Thomas Bach announced last week that he will step down from the role in June next year.
That came as something of a surprise, since it had been expected that Bach would change the Olympic charter to extend his reign beyond the existing 12-year limit, but the former fencer has admitted that “new times are calling for new leaders”.
Bach has been heavily criticised over the IOC’s handling gender row that has hung over boxing at the Paris Olympics, where two fighters disqualified from last year’s World Championships for failing eligibility tests won gold medals.
Coe is president of World Athletics, which last year introduced a blanket policy across all events that requires athletes with Differences of Sexual Development (DSD) to reduce their testosterone levels for a sustained period before being allowed to compete in women’s sport. He believes similarly clarity is needed within the IOC.
“You have to have a clear policy,” he said. “If you don’t, you get into difficult territory – and I think that’s what we’ve witnessed here. The reality is very simple: I have a responsibility to preserve the female category, and I will go on doing that until a successor decides otherwise or the science alters.”
Coe is yet to formally announce his candidacy to be Bach’s successor and, under IOC rules, is not allowed to do so until three months before the end of the German’s reign.
However, it has long been obvious that 67-year-old would be keen on the job and he confirmed as much during an end of Games press conference on Sunday.
"I have always made it clear that if the opportunity arose, then I would obviously give it serious thought,” Coe said. “The opportunity has arisen and clearly I need to think about it. I would consider it.”
Coe won gold medals at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics, before leading the bid and hosting of London 2012 and then becoming head of World Athletics nine years ago.
"I have been involved in the Olympic movement for the larger part of my life,” he added. “I have chaired an Olympic Games from bid to delivery, and two years of legacy after that. I have been privileged to compete in two Olympics.
“I have chaired a National Olympic Committee, and I now have the best job in the world as president of the No 1 Olympic sport. These are experiences that, when you put them together, as well as other aspects of my life, I think would be beneficial to the role.”
