IAAF president Lord Coe leaves role with US sportswear giant Nike amid conflict of interest claims
Athletics chief Lord Coe admitted that his controversial association with Nike was impinging on his ability to clean up the scandal-hit sport after quitting his role with the United States sportswear giant yesterday.
Coe had faced mounting pressure to relinquish his £100,000 a year global ambassadorial role after conflict of interest claims surfaced following the award of the 2021 World Championships to Eugene, Oregan, the home of Nike, without a bidding process.
Despite such insinuations, Coe, who also announced his intention to resign as British Olympic Association chairman after next year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, insisted his decision to cut ties with Nike was not due to a conflict of interests.
Such claims emanated amid a wider corruption scandal which has engulfed the sport, principally state-sponsored doping within Russian athletics, which Coe, as IAAF president, is charged with resolving.
“It is clear that perception and reality have become horribly managled. I have stepped down from the Nike position I have held for 38 years,” said Coe.
“The current noise level around this role is not good good for the IAAF and for Nike. It is a distraction to the 18-hour days that I and my teams are working to steady the ship.”
Russia, meanwhile, yesterday announced its decision not to appeal the decision of governing body the IAAF to suspend the country from international competition.
The All-Russia Athletics Federation [ARAF] has opted not to contest the sanction or request a hearing, while also promising to comply with an international inspection team after being provisionally banned following a World Anti-Doping Agency report earlier this month.
“The IAAF council was today [Thursday] informed that written confirmation had been received yesterday from the ARAF accepting their full suspension without requesting a hearing as was their constitutional right,” read an IAAF statement.
“ARAF confirmed they understood that council would only accept their reinstatement as an IAAF member following the recommendation of the IAAF inspection team who will decide if the verification criteria have been fulfilled.”