British Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah said double Olympic 1,500m champion Sebastian Coe would clean up crisis-ridden athletics if he is elected International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president this week.
Coe is to find out today if he has won the vote to succeed 82-year-old Lamine Diack of Senegal as president of the battered sport’s embattled world governing body.
The 58-year-old Coe is running against pole vault legend Sergey Bubka of Ukraine for the top job at the IAAF.
This is one of the most crucial times in the sport’s history given the pounding it has received by repeated drug scandals and Coe is keen to increase resources in a battle for athletics integrity.
It is likely to be a daunting task for whoever wins the post, but double Olympic champion Farah said Coe is the right man and would prove a breath of fresh air for the sport.
“You don’t want to see anything bad in the sport, but if we all do our best that is all you can do,” Farah said on Monday.
“Hopefully, with Seb stepping into the job... I hope he gets that job because I believe he can change athletics,” he added.
“What he did for London 2012 [Olympics] was incredible, so I believe he can do a great job. I do not want to see anything bad in athletics because that is the sport that I do every day and the sport that I love. I do not want people getting the wrong end of the stick,” Farah added.
Asked what needs to change in the world of athletics, Farah said: “In my opinion, if we all did what we do in the UK, in terms of how we do testing, if every country applied to that rule, it would change dramatically. It would change a lot.”
The uneasiness surrounding athletics has brought Farah’s own success into focus, with UK Athletics finding no evidence of wrongdoing in its recent investigation into allegations of doping against his coach, Alberto Salazar.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care