The World Athletics received a boost as it’s president Lord Sebastian Coe has been elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee ( IOC).
Coe’s candidacy was proposed after he changed his status at sports marketing firm CSM to a non-executive role over a potential conflict of interest.
The 63-year-old had been turned down for IOC membership a number of times, most recently in December.
The two-time Olympic 1500m champion became head of athletics’ world governing body in 2015.
Voting at the IOC session, held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, saw 85 valid votes with six abstentions: 77 voted to approve Coe’s membership, with eight voting against.
Also approved for individual IOC membership were Princess Reema Bandar al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, former Croatian president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Cuban Olympic Committee board member Maria de la Caridad Colon Ruenes and acting Mongolian National Olympic Committee president Battushig Batbold.
