Coe and six rivals pitch to be new IOC president

Lord Coe says his pitch to be the first British president of the International Olympic Committee “seems to have landed well” with the organisation’s members, but “there’s a long road ahead of us”.

In Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday, World Athletics’ head and his six rivals, who are vying for Thomas Bach’s place, gave brief presentations.

In Greece, in March, elections take place.

“I hope I was able to communicate my love for the Olympic movement”, Coe told BBC Sport.

“I hope I was able to convey the message that the role imposes and the energy.

” It’s not a job, it’s a passion, and I hope this is what I can convey over the next few weeks. “

Britain’s two-time Olympic 1500m champion has vowed to shake up the IOC, pledging to innovate, empower athletes, and introduce” clear, science-based policies “to protect the female category amid continuing debate over gender eligibility rules.

In accordance with Coe, World Athletics has outlawed transgender women from competing in international competitions in the female category and made the competition process more difficult for those who have DSD differences.

In his speech, Coe told the 110 IOC members:” We must never lose sight of what makes the Games special and we are in danger of doing that. Competition must be fair, integrity absolute and sporting excellence non-negotiable.

“So we will maintain a laser-like focus on sporting excellence, we will protect and promote the integrity of women’s sport, and we will strengthen anti-doping systems, all of which I have done, together with my Council at World Athletics”.

When asked how he felt his words had been received, Coe said: “The honest answer to that of course is that you don’t know. That’s really up to the membership.

” I was asking]them] not just to cast a vote for me, but to cast a vote for themselves. A confidence in the abilities, knowledge, and experience of the IOC, because that alone will enable us to overcome those difficulties.

“The ‘ holy grail ‘ for any organisation, particularly in sport, is how to excite and maintain the engagement of young people. It’s a cluttered landscape. There are numerous, many distractions, and sport needs to figure out how to maintain interest, particularly during the Olympics.

Due to IOC regulations, candidates were only permitted to speak for fifteen minutes during the closed-doors event, with no opportunity for questions from members following.

When asked about the lack of transparency in the process, Coe responded, “I’m sure whoever is successful will want to review a whole series of things.”

“I believe that we should consider how we choose the IOC’s leadership in the same way [as] any other organization. And we need to make sure that we’re also providing members with the opportunity to fully understand the motivations behind those bids through direct communication.

However, I’ve been a politician for a long time and am aware that you don’t pick a fight with the election eve!