IAAF President Coe gives up Nike ambassadorial role

Coe has an ambassadorial role with Nike worth £100,000 (S$212,000) a year.

Coe’s role with Nike was described as an worldwide advisor and an ambassador for the “Designed to Move ” campaign, which aims to tackle the global inactivity epidemic. In a press conference following a meeting of the IAAF’s council, Coe admitted his role had become a distraction but denied that it was a conflict of interest.

“I sought the view of the [IAAF] ethics committee – they were very clear that it would have been possible to continue [as a Nike ambassador]”.

Coe told a news conference in Monaco that he felt that “noise” about his ties to Nike were distracting him from his work at the International Association of Athletics Federations.

“Frankly”, he added, “it is a distraction to the 18-hour days that I and our teams are working to steady the ship”.

Despite Coe’s explanation, Bjorn Eriksson, leader of the Gothenburg bid at the time and former head of Interpol, told the BBC: “The idea we don’t even get the chance to deliver an offer, we don’t get the chance to be judged”.

In the past three weeks, a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report has confirmed systematic state-sponsored doping in Russian Federation, and Coe’s predecessor as IAAF president Lamine Diack was placed under criminal investigation in France on suspicion of accepting bribes to cover up doping.

The BBC said the head of the Eugene bid, Vin Lananna, was on record as saying neither Nike nor Coe had anything to do with the bidding process, beyond Coe’s right to vote on it as an IAAF member.

“I did not lobby anyone on behalf of the Eugene 2021 bid”, Coe said.

Instead of looking forward to Rio and athletics taking centre stage for all the right reasons, everyone at the IAAF is readying themselves for more revelations frome WADA which are now being held back while a French-led Interpol team investigates internal corruption at the Monaco-based organisation.

Eugene was awarded the championships, the first in the US, without an open bidding process.

Ultimately, Coe’s presidency will be judged on how effectively he puts out those and other fires.

“Seb has been a Nike athlete since the 1970s and we are obviously disappointed, but respect his decision”.

ARAF has accepted a full suspension without requesting a hearing and has promised to co-operate with inspectors who will oversee changes to its drug-testing system.