Coe criticises IOC election process ahead of leadership vote

Sebastian Coe has criticised the election process for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), just days before a vote that could see him take charge of the Olympic movement.

Coe, president of World Athletics, is among the frontrunners in the seven-candidate race to succeed Thomas Bach as IOC president. The vote is set to take place next Thursday in Costa Navarino, Greece.

The 68-year-old Briton expressed frustration over the limited access candidates have had to the 109 IOC members who will decide the outcome, as well as the brief 20-minute presentation allotted to each contender.

“Is it a process that needs looking at? Yes it does,” Coe said in a call with international agencies. “I think there are better and more inclusive ways of doing that.”

When asked what needed to change, he added: “More access to the members, more transparency. It has been difficult to engage and I don’t think those are the guiding principles of an election. An election is very important, in one big way, in that it gives people the opportunity to have a conversation. In future, this needs to be a more open and expansive process.”

Coe’s main challengers include Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior, son of the former IOC president who led the organisation for 21 years, and Kirsty Coventry, a seven-time Olympic swimming medallist from Zimbabwe.

(Source: AFP)