Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics since 2015, was on Thursday re-elected as head of track and field’s governing body on a third and final four-year mandate.
The 66-year-old, a two-time Olympic 1500m champion for Britain in 1980 and 1984, stood unopposed in the vote of the World Athletics Congress in Budapest, two days ahead of the start of the world championships in the Hungarian capital.
According to World Athletics rules, Coe will be unable to stand for a fourth mandate.
In the wake of the Lamine Diack corruption scandal, Coe, a former Conservative politician who oversaw the local organizing committee for the 2012 London Olympics, became leadership of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF).
The Athletics Integrity Unit, an independent organization in charge of anti-doping, was established in 2017 under Coe’s first two terms in office. Additionally, World Athletics’ position on Russia was strengthened when it was initially suspended due to institutional doping and then again in 2022 due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“During the first four years of my term, I focused on preventing the ship from capsize. We were in a dire situation, according to Coe.
He continued that the following four years would be spent addressing concerns like Russia, defending the female category, and promoting one-day events.
“The next four years will be focused on what is the product that will future-proof the sport for the next 30 years,” he added, adding that competition decisions would be made using data rather than presidential whim.
