Its Council, which meets again in Monaco today, has banned Russian Federation from all athletics following the publication of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) independent commission report that uncovered systematic and widespread state-supported doping and cover-ups in the country.
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Coe had come under increasing pressure to end his long-standing association with Nike, with his role believed to be worth around £100,000 a year.
Coe, elected as president in August, has been heavily criticised in recent months for a potential conflict of interest given that the most powerful man in athletics retained a paid role with one of the sport’s biggest backers – a charge he strenuously denies.
The Briton, a two-time Olympic gold 1500m medallist, is accused of lobbying disgraced predecessor Lamine Diack to hand Eugene the 2021 world championships.
Eugene, USA, was given the event without a bidding process, despite interest from the Swedish city of Gothenburg.
IAAF President Sebastian Coe, who is at the center of controversy over his links to Nike, has admitted that the process by which the 2021 World Championships were awarded to Eugene in America was wrong, The Times newspaper reported Thursday.
Coe, 59, said the decision also had to do with his intention to “steadying the ship that has been rocking rather badly recently”, a reference to various doping affairs and corruption allegations.
Asked how long he thought it would take for confidence to be regained in the IAAF, Coe responded: “We need to have a safe, secure, accountable, responsible, responsive sport”. In the wake of those findings, the IAAF council voted 22-1 on November 13 to suspend Russian Federation, barring its track athletes from global competition, including the Olympics.
IAAF president Lord Coe has ended his 38-year ambassadorial role with U.S. sportswear giant Nike.
By recognizing that questions about Nike were distracting from his work, Coe signalled that he understands the need to put the interests of his sport first.
It will also be suspended for the World Indoor Championships in March, but is desperate for its athletes to be allowed to compete at the Rio Olympics next summer.
French prosecutors are investigating allegations that Diack, his sons and others at the IAAF were involved in corruption and money-laundering and an alleged blackmail scheme that squeezed bribes from athletes in return for promises to hide their positive doping tests.
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Thursday’s meeting of the IAAF council is expected to flesh out the anti-doping steps that Russian Federation must take for its track and field athletes to be readmitted to worldwide competition.
