Former world-class runner Sebastian Coe has been elected President of the World Athletics Federation for the third time. The 66-year-old Briton received 192 of the 195 votes with three abstentions in Thursday’s election in Budapest – 98.5 percent.
Coe, who has led the association since 2015, was the sole candidate for the post. He has now been elected for the last four years until 2027. He was “deeply honored,” Coe told delegates. “We’ve got a lot of unfinished business to do — let’s get this baby home.”
Possible successor to Thomas Bach?
The election was chaired by Sergei Bubka, the main vice-president. It was the last official act before his resignation after more than two decades in the association’s leadership. The 59-year-old, who ran against Coe in 2015, did not stand for re-election this time after criticism for his ties to Russia. Bubka gave up the post of President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine some time ago.
Coe, two-time 1500-meter Olympic champion and head of organization for the 2012 Summer Olympics, had not recently positioned himself on his medium-term plans. The last term of office of the German President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, ends in 2025; Coe is considered a possible successor.
Jürgen Kalwa, New York Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 13 Published/Updated: Recommendations: 8 Michael Reinsch Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 31
Just one year after the title fights in Eugene, USA, the track and field elite will meet in Budapest for the next world championships on Saturday. Around 2,000 athletes from more than 200 countries will be fighting for medals in 49 competitions on the banks of the Danube until August 27th.
The German medal prospects at the 19th World Championships are rather subdued. The decathletes Niklaus Kaul and Leo Neugebauer as well as the locking thrower Julian Weber have the best prospects. Long jump Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo is missing like other top German athletes injured.
