IOC’s complicated election rules could block Sebastian Coe’s bid to become president
The 67-year-old president of the track governing body World Athletics appears ineligible under new guidance
International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidential hopeful Sebastian Coe’s bid to run for the top job could be blocked after the organisation clarified its complex election rules before a deadline on Sunday to enter the race.
A letter seen by the Associated Press was sent by the IOC’s ethics commission to the 111 members, including Coe and several more likely candidates in the contest to succeed Thomas Bach next year.
Details in the two-page letter specified reasons the likes of Coe, president of track governing body World Athletics, would seem ineligible to complete a full first IOC mandate of eight years.
The winning candidate must be a member of the IOC on election day, scheduled for March in Greece, “and during the entire duration of their term as IOC President,” the letter stated.
Coe’s IOC membership is conditional on being president of World Athletics, a role he must leave in 2027 on completing the maximum 12 years in office.
Another expected candidate, IOC vice-president Juan Antonio Samaranch Jnr, who turns 65 in November, could also have legal issues with the standard age limit of 70 for members defined in the Olympic Charter rules book.
