This piece is published with permission of the publisher, SI LIVE.com. Jeff Benjamin wrote this piece on Seb Coe, who is running for President of the International Olympic Committee.
A little over four decades ago, British athlete Sebastian Coe toed the line against the world’s top middle-distance runners in the 1500 meters at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
His path to get there wasn’t easy.
From 1979 through 1982, Coe (who was coached by his father Peter) set multiple world records at various distances and won 1500 gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics in performances that electrified the sports world.
However, as 1983 moved on, Coe was hobbled by severe illness and injuries, with many, notably members of the British press, writing him off.
Coe said in Born to Run, “The Olympics (in Los Angeles) in ‘84 seemed as far away as anything I ever saw.”
Yet, through his drive, grit, dedication, and determination, Coe would not only compete in LA and net a silver medal at 800 meters (just like in Moscow) but would dramatically win the 1500, kicking past fellow Brit Steve Cram and setting an Olympic record, becoming the only man to win the Olympic Games 1500 twice!
“Who says I’m finished?!” Coe yelled towards the British Press Box after finishing.
He then concluded, yelling, “Now, Believe!”
Inspired by Olympic heroes and performances as a youth club runner, Coe (the author of numerous sports books, notably The Olympians) is now looking to take on the most incredible pinnacle of all in world sport.
Lord Sebastian Coe was recognized last year at the 2024 Millrose Games. Advance Sports Desk
Alongside six other candidates, Lord Coe (appointed the title in 2000) is currently competing in an election to become the head of the International Olympic Committee. The IOC, which consists of 105 active members and 45 honorary members representing every nation, will hear from each candidate in a few days, outlining their respective visions. An overall IOC vote will subsequently take place March 18-21.
Coe’s background goes beyond his stellar athletics record.
In 1981, Coe joined other Olympic athletes who, for the first time, were allowed to address the IOC at the 11th Olympic Congress. His speech after the gathering helped bring about athlete representation and a push toward moving away from the archaic and hypocritical amateur philosophy of the IOC. This policy lasted over seven decades.
After retiring from competition, Coe was elected to the British Parliament and was Prime Minister William Hague’s chief of staff.
In 2004, Coe joined the London Olympics 2012 committee, eventually assuming the Chairmanship and leading London to secure the Games against stiff competition from New York City, Paris, and Madrid. The 2012 London Games would go on to be a great success.
Not just relegated to track & field issues, Coe also served as the first chairman of soccer’s FIFA independent watchdog, the FIFA Ethics Committee. The commission judged all cases alleging conflicts of interest and breaches of FIFA rules.
2015 Coe was elected President of Track & Field’s governing body, World Athletics. Bringing in necessary reforms and rooting out corruption, Coe has guided WA to great success over the last decade.
Ever the historian, Coe also established a World Athletics Museum, which was no easy task, and recognized the legends of the past.
“I remember back in 2015 how WA historian Chris Turner and I went into the archives basement,” recalled Coe in 2022. “It was damp and wet with records and artifacts not well-maintained.”
Coe, Turner, and others went to work cleaning it up and putting it all up to a grand level.
At the 2022 World Championships held in Eugene, Oregon, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe recognized and honored legendary athletes. Those present included Craig Virgin, Eamonn Coghlan, Abdi Bile, Nawal El Moutawakel, Willie Banks, Brooke Andersen, Mike Powell, and Daley Thompson. Advance Sports Desk
That philosophy seems to be Coe’s mantra. Unlike many of the world’s sports leaders of the 20th century, Coe does not operate in an autocratic fashion.
Coe’s slogan is “Listen, learn, lead.” With a history of consensus leadership, Coe has also not been afraid to tackle challenging issues in the sports world.
Among those issues are stances on Russia, awarding prize money to athletes, and protecting female rights regarding gender issues in sports. Coe also lent his voice to support the quest to reinstate the legendary 1912 Olympian Jim Thorpe into the official Olympic record books.
No issues facing Olympic sports are easy, especially on the world stage. Coe would have to deal with IOC members who represent democracies, dictatorships, royalty, and all the other types of governments.
“You just have to accept that not everyone’s going to see the world in the same way,” said Coe, whose political experience is undoubtedly a strong suit, in an AP interview.
“Your job is to try to persuade them that that’s a direction you’d like them to come. You then put structures where they see the benefits of what we’re trying to achieve.”
“We have to make some tough decisions….That’s what the membership has to be involved in,” said Coe. You can’t operate based on, ‘This is what I’m doing, this is what I’m saying.’ This has to be a joint journey.”
And that journey, no doubt, is led by Coe’s head and heart.
“I live and breathe the Olympic movement,” said Coe passionately in his election manifesto last month.
World Athletics leader Lord Sebastian Coe with youth athletes at last year’s New York Athletic Club event.Advance Sports Desk
Last summer, Coe returned to the scene of his LA 1984 Olympic triumph and talked about how, in a grand gesture, he spread his late father’s ashes near the Stadium where his father and mother waited for him to come out after his races.
“My father had everything to do with my career,” said Coe.
It’s a fitting tribute, as Sebastian Coe may return to Los Angeles in 2028, this time as “The Lord Of The Rings.”
This story was posted with permission of the publisher, SI LIVE.com.
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