Sebastian Coe faces more conflict of interest accusations

Allegations that IAAF president lobbied for Eugene to host the 2021 World Championships need an 'explanation'

Sebastian Coe (Getty Images)

Allegations that Sebastian Coe, the International Association of Athletics Federations president, lobbied for Eugene to host the 2021 World Championships need an “explanation”, according to the leader of Gothenburg’s rival bid.

Coe has denied allegations of a conflict of interest over his relationship with sportswear giant Nike and his role in the Oregon city of Eugene being awarded the 2021 championships, following a BBC investigation.

Bjorn Eriksson, leader of Gothenburg’s 2021 bid and the former Interpol president, told the BBC: “It smells and needs to be investigated.”

Eugene – closely linked to Nike – was awarded the 2021 event without a bidding process, despite strong interest from Gothenburg.

“It doesn’t look good at all,” Eriksson told the BBC on being shown emails which claim Coe contacted the then-IAAF president Lamine Diack to support Eugene’s bid. “I would very much like to hear how could this be explained. It is a very good question to Sebastian Coe. What is this?

“It smells and it has to be investigated. That’s for the sport, for everybody involved.”

The BBC investigation centred around an internal Nike email from January claiming Coe, a Nike ambassador who was then an IAAF vice-president, gave assurances he supported the Eugene bid, but had been told by Diack that no decision on the 2021 championships would be made in April. Diack later announced the awarding of the 2021 championships in April, catching many by surprise.

Coe insisted he had not made any attempts at lobbying for Eugene and defended the IAAF awarding the event without a bidding process. “I did not lobby anyone on behalf of the Eugene 2021 bid,” Coe told the BBC. “The situation was unusual but not unprecedented. A bid process did not take place when Osaka was awarded the 2007 World Championships.”