Sebastian Coe: next IAAF President?
Mile legend and two-time Olympic 1500m champion: "Throughout all my sporting roles I have always put the interest of athletics first and been independent enough to do the right thing for our sport."
By Duncan Mackay, InsideTheGames.biz
Sebastian Coe has officially confirmed that he is to stand to become the next President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
The decision by the 58-year-old double Olympic gold medalist to put himself forward to replace Lamine Diack when the Senegalese retires after holding the position for 16 years had been widely expected but ends speculation that Coe may have run instead for the Mayor of London.
Coe, the IAAF vice-president, will start the campaign as overwhelming favorite following his successful spell as the chairman of London 2012, an event regarded as the most successful Olympics and Paralympics in history.
His only competitor is expected to be Ukraine's world pole vault record holder Sergey Bubka.
"For as long as I can remember, I have woken knowing that athletics, in some way, would shape my day," said Coe, winner of the Olympic 1500 meters at Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984.
"As a young boy, running was the thing that I loved beyond anything else and I have been hugely fortunate that athletics has been at the center of my life ever since.
"As I speak to friends and colleagues around our great sport I appreciate that we are entering a very important time for athletics and that it is the right time to open up a discussion about the future.
"That discussion needs to focus on how we build on the many achievements of recent years, recognize that we have new challenges in a new era and how we can tackle those challenges with vision and ambition.
"I believe I have something to offer to that debate and it is why I am today officially announcing my candidacy for the Presidency of the IAAF."
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