Thomas Bach's potential successor explained his position on athletes from Russia and Belarus.
Candidate for the post of head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Sebastian Coe explained why he supported the disqualification of athletes from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.
Coe now heads the International Athletics Federation.
The sports official claims that the disqualification of Russian and Belarusian athletes was not his personal decision, reports the Sportsin portal.
Coe stressed that the organization he now heads is politically neutral.
But he also pointed out that there are situations when a leader must take a certain position.
According to him, this is exactly what happened in the case of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. But Kou claims that he did not make this decision unilaterally: “I am not that kind of leader.”
In 2016, athletes from Russia were deprived of the right to compete in international competitions due to doping scandals.
In 2023, the All-Russian Athletics Federation regained its international status, but then restrictions related to the special operation appeared.
