The UK’s Sebastian Coe has today (August 17) been re-elected for a third and final term as president of the World Athletics governing body.
Coe, first elected in 2015, stood unopposed, and received 192 out of 195 possible votes at the 54th World Athletics Congress in Budapest, Hungary, with three abstentions.
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After succeeding the disgraced Lamine Diack – who was sentenced to four years in jail for corruption shortly before his death two years ago – in 2015, Coe secured re-election for a second term in September 2019, securing all available votes – 203 on that occasion.
Since his initial election eight years ago, Coe has had to deal with a wide range of issues at the Monaco-based World Athletics, including high-level corruption when he arrived, the sport’s doping issue, the Covid-19 pandemic, and during the last year, the sport’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Coe has taken a harder stance on that issue, and regarding his federation's approach to Russian athletes, than many other sporting bodies.
After today’s official re-election, Coe was reported by media as saying: “The first four years [as president] was making sure the ship did not sink – the next four were about dealing with stuff that had been in the inbox for far too long.
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By GlobalData“These next four years will be focused on the product that will future-proof the sport for the next 30 years.”
With Coe currently rumored to be an option to replace Thomas Bach as president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) when Bach’s term ends in 2025, it is not definite that he will finish his final stint at World Athletics, due to end in 2027.
The Congress also saw Ximena Restrepo re-elected as vice president, to be joined by new vice presidents Raul Chapado, Adille Sumariwalla, and Jackson Tuwei.
Meanwhile, World Athletics has today announced a new six-year global partnership with professional services firm Deloitte.
Through the tie-up, Deloitte will provide “a wide range of digital consulting services and sports operations and platforms” to World Athletics and its events from the start of 2024 through 2029.
The governing body has said Deloitte’s digital transformation, innovation, and data-driven intelligence, will all be utilized.
This builds on an existing relationship between the two bodies.
Coe, on that front, commented: “Global organizations like Deloitte understand the opportunities and challenges that we have as a worldwide federation of 214 members and can provide the strategic advice and services we need wherever we are operating.
“We have already benefitted from the expertise Deloitte has to offer, especially in digital transformation and data analytics, and we’re delighted that we have reached a formal agreement that will help World Athletics achieve our innovation and growth agenda over the next six years.”
Sami Rahal, chief executive of Deloitte Central Europe, added: “This strategic collaboration symbolizes our mutual commitment to nurturing growth, promoting the spirit of athletics, and ensuring operational excellence within international athletics bodies.
“Our partnership brings together two powerhouses that embody deep knowledge, vast experience, and significant influence within their respective sectors. At Deloitte, we are incredibly excited about the prospect of merging our expertise with the sports acumen of World Athletics.”
Late last month, Japanese manufacturing heavyweight NTN became a commercial partner of World Athletics.
Image: Laszlo Zsigmond for World Athletics
