IAAF president Sebastian Coe during a press conference at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel, Doha, yesterday.
Sebastian Coe has been unanimously re-elected for a second term as President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
The 62-year-old, former Olympic and world champion middle-distance runner, became head of world athletics’ governing body in 2015 and receives his second mandate just two days before the World Athletics Championships open in Doha.
Coe, who took over the reins during a period of turmoil in world athletics, was re-elected by unanimous vote of the 203 delegates attending the International Association of Athletics Federations’ Congress in Doha yesterday.
“This was not an easy journey. I genuinely am very pleased and proud of the way the sport has come together,” Coe told delegates following his re-election.
“Two-hundred changes, the Athletics Integrity Unit -- no sport has a unit in the same space, it’s about malpractice, corruption,” he said.
During his first term, Coe set up the independent Athletics Integrity Unit which serves as watchdog dedicated to cleaning up corruption in the sport.
“It’s been a tough four years, the first two were the reforms -- the second two years were really making sure they were implemented,” he said.
“(We) got here pretty much implementing everything we said we’d do.
“I want the next four years to be the fun bit... I want the sport to grow,” he added.
Yesterday’s Congress also saw the election of four vice-presidents, and 13 members of the total 50.
Ximena Restrepo, pole vault champion Sergey Bubka, Geoffrey Gardner and Nawaf Bin Mohammed Al Saud were elected Vice-Presidents.
Restrepo, the 1992 Olympic 400m bronze medalist from Colombia, will become the first woman to serve as an IAAF Vice-President.
As part of the widespread reforms adopted by the IAAF Congress at the end of 2016, the IAAF added minimum gender targets into its constitution to establish parity at all levels in the sports governance.
Coe welcomed Restrepo, who now lives in Chile, as one of the new Vice Presidents and offered his congratulations.
“Ximena is a former athlete, which is tremendously helpful when you’re driving the sport forward,” said Coe.
“I am delighted that we have for the very first time elected a female Vice President and that she will be joined by seven other women on council. This is a historic moment.” “I’m really honoured to take this position,” said Restrepo.
“It’s a great moment for me and for my country. I would like to thank you, Seb, because this was only made possible because of you and the changes made to the constitution.” Congress also elected new members of the IAAF Council.
The newly elected members are: Hiroshi Yokokawa (Japan), Antti Pihlakoski (Finland), Anna Riccardi (Italy), Nan Wang (China), Adille Sumariwalla (India), Nawal El Moutawakel (Morocco), Abby Hoffman (Canada), Sylvia Barlag (The Netherlands), Alberto Juantorena (Cuba), Willie Banks (USA), Raul Chapado (Spain), Dobromir Karamarinov (Bulgaria), Beatrice Ayikoru (Uganda).
The IAAF Council will be composed of 26 members, eight of whom are women. The 13 newly elected members will be joined by six Area Presidents and two members of the Athletes’ Commission, one man and one woman, including the Chair.
