[Source: BBC]
World Athletics president, Sebastian Coe, “soft-launched” his bid to become the next president of the International Olympic Committee today saying it’s a role he feels he’s been building towards his whole life and that the organization is ready for change.
He is one of seven people bidding to replace Thomas Bach in what would be the culmination of an extraordinarily successful sporting career.
Coe who is a multiple world record holder, won back-to-back Olympic 1,500 meters gold medals and, after a diversion as a Member of Parliament, delivered the hugely successful 2012 London Olympics.
He became World Athletics president in 2015, initiating widespread reforms, and has had a long commercial career in sports marketing.
His decisive action on banning Russian and Belarusians from all athletics, initially due to state-sponsored doping and then after the invasion of Ukraine, was at odds with the views of many IOC members.
Sebastian Coe antagonized others with his decision to award prize money to Olympic champions in Paris this year, without consulting the IOC first.
He believes the IOC is a movement that needs modernizing.