MOSCOW, August 13, Oleg Bogatov. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe of Great Britain is the favorite among possible candidates for the post of head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), his election is unlikely to meet the interests of Russia, but it is necessary to build working relations with any IOC leader as soon as possible to restore the country's position, said Russian State Duma deputy Dmitry Svishchev.
On Saturday, at the 142nd IOC session in Paris, IOC President Thomas Bach announced that he would not seek re-election for a third term. The German has headed the IOC since 2013. The IOC presidential election will be held in March 2025. Possible candidates include Coe, Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. and International Gymnastics Federation President Marinaro Watanabe of Japan.
«It is obvious that Coe will be the favorite in the fight for the post of the President of the International Olympic Committee. It is clear that this is not the best option for Russia. He has already done a lot to the detriment of Russia in the post of the President of the International Athletics Federation (World Athletics), and in everything related to operational activities. Although he became an Olympic champion, like Thomas Bach, in our country, in 1980. Of course, this is a strange coincidence for them, but nevertheless, this is how things are,» Svischev said.
«I think that whoever becomes the next IOC president, we will need to build working relationships. And the sooner we do this, the sooner the entire Russian team will integrate into international life. After all, everyone in the world understands perfectly well that without Russia, Russian athletes, Russian investments and the Russian market, the international Olympic movement is incomplete. We occupy the largest territory in the world, and about 150 million people are of interest to any major sports project. Therefore, we will need to build relationships with any IOC president, but on the conditions of equivalence and equality of positions,» the agency's interlocutor emphasized.