The 67-year-old is a two-time Olympic champion in the 1,500 meters, a former member of parliament and the head of the organizing committee for the London Games. Formalities could be an obstacle to his ambitions, because just days before the candidacy deadline, which ends on September 15, 111 IOC members received a letter clarifying the rules for participating in the elections, signed by the head of the Ethics Commission, Ban Ki-moon. It reads that the IOC President must be a member of the organization for the entire term (the next one is 2024-2032), and this right is valid only until the age of 70, with the possibility of extending – at the request of the Executive Committee – for a further four years.
Coe was born in 1956, so he would have turned 76 at the end of the semester. He is also the head of World Athletics and it was on behalf of this organization that he became a member of the IOC. So if he resigns from his position, he will lose his membership.
The woman has not yet been head of the IOC
A similar problem is faced by David Lappartient, 51, the head of world cycling, and Morinari Watanabe, 65, the head of the gymnastics federation. The latter, like his contemporary Juan Samaranch Junior, also mentioned among the candidates, should have obtained the aforementioned extension during the IOC session. This interpretation of the rules puts Kirsty Coventry, 40, from Zimbabwe, a multiple Olympic medallist in swimming and former head of the Athletes’ Commission, and Nicole Hoevertsz, 60, from Aruba, also a former swimmer and now one of the four IOC vice-presidents, in a favourable position. The same role is also held by the equally ambitious Jordanian Prince Faisal, 60.
However, it is possible that the dark horse is Moroccan Nawal El Moutawakel. The 62-year-old meets the formal requirements, during the IOC Session she spends a lot of time with the Emir of Qatar and the Minister of Sports of Saudi Arabia, and was a successful hurdler, so she knows how to overcome obstacles.
The list of candidates will be released on Monday and the president will be announced in the second half of March.
