IAAF President Sebastian Coe said on Sunday that part of his new job as head of world athletics will be to "shift the conversation about his 'ostensibly clean' sport from doping to spectacular performances," according to Nick Mulvenney of REUTERS. He became IAAF president "at the conclusion of the 15th world championships on Sunday." Coe was asked whether he "had sympathy for athletes like his compatriot Mo Farah, who won a second successive world distance double on Saturday," when people questioned how they were able to perform "such grueling feats." Coe said, "We have to be very careful here about making assumptions about quality and unpredictable performances which for the largest part are down to innate ability and hard work. ... It is slightly the territory we have inherited and one of my responsibilities is to move us off that territory, we are more than just a discussion about test tubes, blood and urine." Coe said that his plans to move toward an independent anti-doping agency for athletics "were no reflection on the work currently being done." Coe: "It is a recognition that reality and perception sometimes get confused and we need to make sure we do everything both in the integrity of our sport and with our processes and procedures to give maximum confidence" (REUTERS, 8/30). In London, Owen Gibson reported Coe has "defiantly defended his links with Nike, refusing to give up his role as a special adviser" to the brand. He is "under fire for refusing to drop his links with the company." Critics pointed to the decision to award major championships to Portland and Eugene, two cities in Oregon with links to the company, "and the furore surrounding Nike's decision to back the twice-banned Justin Gatlin as examples." Coe said that his role with Nike centered around a CSR project called Time to Move, "tackling childhood obesity, and did not involve contracts and negotiations or the elite performance side of the company." He insisted that there were "very clear lines of corporate governance" and has previously pointed to the fact that Nike's rival adidas was a "main sponsor at London 2012, where he was chairman, and at the British Olympic Association, where he remains chairman." Coe also has a role at the sports marketing agency CSM (GUARDIAN, 8/30).
COE URGED TO SEVER TIES: In London, David Walsh wrote in a column Coe was asked whether he would be giving up his £90,000 ($138,500)-a-year ambassadorial role with sponsors Nike. With "astonishing arrogance, he bristled at the question and replied that he would not." There is no suggestion Coe was "influenced by being on Nike's payroll but in these situations perception is as important as reality." How can there not be a "perceived conflict of interest when a sports administrator is involved in a decision that affects a sponsor" from whom he is receiving approximately £1,800 ($2,800) a week? The president "needs to end this relationship with Nike." Now (SUNDAY TIMES, 8/30).
