Coe ‘delighted’ at IOC election after leaving branding agency

Lord Coe has been elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee. He had previously been barred because of his role as chairman of CSM Sport and Entertainment, a global branding agency which works with a number of sports stars and firms with links to the Olympics.

During an IOC session being held virtually yesterday, Coe said: “As president of World Athletics, I’m absolutely delighted to represent our sport in the Olympic movement as an IOC member.”

Coe has been president of World Athletics since 2015, a position which would normally have seen him join the IOC Session. His membership comes after he stepped down from an active role in CSM.

Meanwhile, rules on staging protests during Olympic Games competition and ceremonies will be discussed with athletes, IOC president Thomas Bach said yesterday.

Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter says the field of play and medal events should be “separate from political, religious or any other type of interference” but it has been criticised recently, with the Athletics Association, the new independent organisation for track and field athletes, saying it is not fit for purpose.

There is a concern that athletes will be penalised if they show support for the Black Lives Matter movement during next summer’s rescheduled Games in Tokyo. Now, Bach says the IOC’S athletes’ commission will consult on the rule.

Organisers confirmed that all venues had now been secured for next year, while the Games will have an almost identical schedule to that planned for this year. The opening ceremony is scheduled for July 23, 2021.