ATHLETICS: Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012, has been asked to stand for president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), one of the most powerful positions in world sport, writes Duncan Makay.
But the pressures of managing preparations for the 2012 Olympics and revitalising athletics could mean Coe resists the temptation to stand. He said: "I'm so determined to get this programme off the ground that I don't have time for anything else. So I probably won't stand." A final decision does not need to be taken until next May.
The 1980 and 1984 Olympic 1,500 metres champion has been approached by countries who want him to stand against Lamine Diack, the president since 1999, at the next election in Osaka in August 2007. Election to the presidency of the IAAF carries with it the prize of a position as an IOC member.
The former conservative MP was elected to the IAAF's ruling council in 2003 but it was his leadership of London's bid to stage the 2012 Olympics which boosted his standing.
The only person who has declared he is likely to stand against Diack is Minos Kyriakou, a Greek billionaire who is also a member of the IAAF council.
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