Sebastian Coe entered the race to join group of seven candidates vying to be the next International Olympic Committee president, according to a post issued by the organization on Monday.
Current IOC head Thomas Bach announced during the Paris Olympics last month that he would step down at the end of his second term next year.
Coe is the president of World Athletics and the second former Olympic champion on the shortlist to succeed Bach. Kirsty Coventry, who won gold for Zimbabwe in 2004 and 2008.
They are joined by Spain’s Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. who is one of the four IOC vice presidents, IOC board member Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan, Japan’s Morinari Watanabe is the gymnastics lead, France’s David Lappartient is the head of cycling and Johan Eliasch is Swedish-British and president of the International Ski Federation.
Coventry is also the only woman among the candidates seeking to run the organization which has had male presidents in its 130-year existence. Meanwhile, Samaranch Jr.’s father was the seventh IOC president and ran the governing body for 21 years.
Each candidate will present their case for election to the entire IOC membership group in Lausanne, Switzerland in January.
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