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Leagues and Governing Bodies

Sebastian Coe Defeats Sergey Bubka To Be Elected IAAF President

Sebastian Coe was elected to the top job in world athletics on Wednesday morning and said it was the "second biggest moment in his life after the birth of his children," according to the LONDON TIMES. Coe beat Sergey Bubka by 115 votes to 92 in the election to be IAAF president, "promising to give more power to national federations in his attempts to grow the sport." The two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner was elected on the opening morning of the IAAF Congress in Beijing to a four-year term as president, taking over from Lamine Diack, the Senegalese who has held the job since '99. Coe said in his acceptance speech, "For most of us in this in this room we would conclude that the birth of our children are big moments in our lives, probably the biggest. But I have to say that the opportunity to work with all of you and to shape the future of our sport is probably the second biggest and momentous occasion in my life." Coe "leant heavily" on his role as chairman of the organizing committee for the London Olympics in his campaign and he promised to stand up for "athletics in the Olympic movement, not the Olympic movement in athletics" (LONDON TIMES, 8/19). In London, Ben Bloom reported Coe had pledged to introduce an "independent anti-doping unit separate from the IAAF if he became the most powerful man in athletics" and, while falling short of criticizing the existing anti-doping structure, he confirmed his intention to "rip it up and start again." Coe: "I have espoused the concept of an independent testing process, which isn't in any way to question the technical or professional ability of our teams in Monaco. ... But we do have to recognize that there is too broad a view that, whether real or perceived, there are conflicts and loopholes and I think an independent system is what we need to close down any thought that we are doing anything other than being entirely vigilant." Becoming only the sixth president in the IAAF's 103-year history, Coe knows he must attempt to "regain faith in a sport that is sinking under the weight of allegations of systematic state-sponsored doping" in Russia and claims that the governing body "turned a blind eye to hundreds of potential drugs cheats over the past decade -- something the IAAF strenuously denies" (TELEGRAPH, 8/19). The PA's Guy Aspin reported the Briton, who had been the "strong favourite to win," has highlighted the need to "overhaul the athletics calendar," introducing more "street meets," increase commercial revenue, empower national federations and "encourage young people into the sport." Bubka was re-elected as an IAAF VP at the Congress, which is taking place ahead of the start of the World Championships in the Chinese capital on Saturday. Coe delivered a "powerful speech" to the Congress ahead of the vote in which he said, "There is no task in my life for which I've ever been better prepared, no job I've ever wanted to do more and with greater commitment" (PA, 8/19).

'LONG JOURNEY': In London, Moore & Mitchell reported Coe, who claimed to have traveled 435,000 miles during his campaign to persuade IAAF delegates to support him, said, "It has been a long journey. I joined an athletics club when I was 11, the joys of Olympic competition, but this is the pinnacle." He did not mention the doping allegations in his address to IAAF delegates on Wednesday, but promised to uphold the sport's "trust and integrity" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 8/19).

TARGETING DOPING: REUTERS' Nick Mulvenney reported British World Anti-Doping Agency President Craig Reedie congratulated Coe on his victory. He said in a statement, "We look forward to a positive and strong relationship with the new president in his avowed plans to protect the rights of the clean athlete." Bubka also congratulated Coe on his victory and was later elected one of four IAAF VPs, along with Cuban Alberto Juantorena, Qatari Dahlan Al Hamad and Hamad Kalkaba Malboum of Cameroon. Bubka: "I know athletics will grow and become stronger. I am a happy man because I love athletics. I will continue to serve athletics with passion. This is my life." Outgoing president Diack said that he was delighted to "finally have a successor." Diack: "The white-haired generation has done what it could, and now over to the black-haired generation" (REUTERS, 8/19).

THE 'RIGHT GUY': The BBC reported double Olympic champion Mo Farah and Olympic 1,500m Silver Medalist Steve Cram "have backed their countryman to make a positive impact." Cram, who won Silver behind Coe at the 1984 Olympics in L.A., said, "It's a great result for the sport." He added that Coe was the "right guy" to lead the IAAF. UK Athletics Chair Ed Warner added that Coe possessed "the range of skills and the character that's required to pull us forward." But he warned against a "quick solution to the drug issues," insisting, "It's not an overnight success story that Seb is going to ring in here." USA Track and Field said it had been "impressed" with Coe's "vision for the sport," "his dedication to its cause" and "his demonstrated effectiveness as a leader." European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen said he was looking forward to working closely with Coe "for the good of our sport." Athletics Australia President David Grace said that Coe's "wealth of knowledge in the field of sports governance and administration" will "ensure that athletics globally is in capable hands in years to come" (BBC, 8/19). 

DIACK ON DEFENSIVE: Mulvenney reported in a separate piece Diack defended the work done by the IAAF to combat doping, saying it had an "unparalleled" record among sports in detecting and punishing drug cheats. The IAAF has faced a "string of accusations over the last three weeks that it neglected its duty to address the issue after the leak of blood test data to two media organizations." He said, "It's a tricky problem to deal with but we constantly continue to discuss matters and introduce new measures. Okay, a newspaper stole some information from our data bank but I think our officers have reacted in an admirable way" (REUTERS, 8/18).

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