SEB COE, the double 1500 metres Olympic champion, will discover tomorrow (Thursday) if he will become the tenth President of the Olympic Games – and first from Britain.
Writing exclusively for SunSport, Coe, 68, explains what he will do if he is voted into the role at this week’s 144th IOC Session in Greece.
Seb Coe is one of seven candidates standing for election[/caption]
Seb Coe celebrates winning gold at the Moscow 1980 Olympics[/caption]
He wants to catch the drug cheats, protect women’s sport amid a transgender storm in world sport and see more money in the pockets of athletes.
Here, Brit icon Coe outlines his plans for the IOC:
BECOMING President of the International Olympic Committee would be a privilege and the honour of my life.
I don’t see it as a job. It’s a passion. And I’m ready.
When Thomas Bach announced last year he was stepping down after 12 years in charge, it became the dance I just couldn’t sit out.
I take absolutely nothing for granted. I’m too long in the tooth politically to know that you cannot do that.
I have worked harder for this than I have ever worked for anything else.
If elected President of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday in Greece, I will:
Protect and promote the integrity of women’s sport
This will involve advocating for clear, science-based policies that safeguard the female category.
Women’s sport is at a critical juncture. We must navigate this with sensitivity and resolve to ensure current and future generations of women choose sport.
This is a non-negotiable topic. Gender cannot trump biology.
Find and stamp out the drugs cheats
Doping undermines the trust and integrity of the Games.
I will intensify the work with governments globally to prioritise and enhance funding and use the legal instruments only they can access to unearth and then boot out the cheaters.
Empower the 100-plus IOC membership
We have got exceptional people sitting in that membership and I want to make sure they are absolutely utilised to the best of their abilities.
Some of them have got brains the size of planets. We’ve got business leaders, filmmakers, educationalists, coaches, athletes, media owners, members of royal families, politicians.
Give them decision-making responsibility. Give them a voice.
At present, there is too much power in the hands of too few people.
Place athletes at the heart of every decision we make
I will expand resources and support programmes, with the help of our commercial partners, to address the pressures faced by athletes today.
Ensure they are better equipped for competition and post-competition careers.
Athletes’ financial well-being will also be prioritised, in consultation with all stakeholders, ensuring their contributions are rewarded fairly.
Coe celebrates winning gold at Moscow 1980, just days after being pipped to 800m gold by countryman Steve Ovett[/caption]
Seb Coe celebrates London’s successful bid to host the London 2012 Olympics[/caption]
My vision is simple. To use the inspirational power of the Olympic Movement to deliver the Greatest Show on Earth every two years.
The Games represent humanity’s highest ideals – excellence, unity and hope.
I joined an athletics club in Sheffield at the age of 11 and have spent my whole life in the Olympic movement.
I won Olympic gold on the track twice. I was bid leader and then chair of the London 2012 Games.
Seb Coe presents Jessica Ennis with her gold medal at London 2012[/caption]
My track record also involves establishing the legacy of those Games in the UK Government, becoming President of a National Olympic Committee (Team GB) and then President at World Athletics.
My personal pledge has always been – if I say I am going to do something, I work tirelessly to achieve it, working with colleagues and partners to deliver together.
One of my strengths is that I am good at building teams. I do genuinely work by consensus.
But that doesn’t mean that on occasions I’m not prepared to make tough decisions. I think I have shown that.
I have been in training for this for most of my life. I want to build, I want to reform and I want to deliver.
