Sport should have primacy over politics, says Coe

Sebastian Coe said yesterday that sport should take precedence over politics and urged nations locked in a diplomatic dispute with Qatar not to boycott next year’s world athletics championships in Doha. The IAAF president was speaking in the Qatari capital as organisers launched ticketing arrangements for next year’s event, the first athletics world championships to be held in the Middle East. “I fully expect a full contingent of federations to be there,” said Coe, a double Olympic gold medallist. “And it’s very important that international sport consistently and continually makes the point that we have primacy over politics and that is very important.” Saudi Arabia and its allies including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have imposed a blockade on Qatar for the past 17 months. Coe said next year’s championships, which run for 10 days and begin on September 27, was “very important” as it would give athletics a “footprint” in the region. The event will see several innovations, including evening-only sessions, a marathon held at midnight, and mixed-race world championship relays for the first time. It will also mostly be held in an air-conditioned venue, Doha’s Khalifa Stadium. The IAAF announced that stadium ticket prices will begin at QR60 ($16, 14 euros). It also said it would not introduce a new qualification system for athletes for these championships. —

(Sport Pages 1, 2)