Busy Day in Doha for IAAF

(ATR) Sebastian Coe unanimously wins re-election as president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

All 203 voting members at the 52nd IAAF Congress in Doha, Qatar voted for the 62-year-old Coe, who was running unopposed.

Winning a second four-year term could boost Coe’s chances of landing a nomination to become an IOC member.

But while an IOC membership remains a possibility, there is one certainty for Coe as he moves into his second term.

He will still be dealing with the Russian doping scandal and the continued suspension of the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF).

Before the Congress re-elected Coe, it voted 164-30 to follow the unanimous recommendation by the IAAF Council to maintain Russia’s suspension due to RusAf’s continued failure to meet all of the required conditions for reinstatement.

The IAAF Council decision on Tuesday came hours after the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Executive Committee announced it had opened compliance proceedings against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) after discrepancies were found in the data from a Moscow laboratory that RUSADA had handed over to WADA in January.

The IAAF's Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) investigation into the data is still ongoing, leaving one of the requirements for Russian reinstatement incomplete.

The AIU was busy on the eve of the IAAF elections. The IAAF Disciplinary Tribunal, acting on an application by the AIU, temporarily suspended Ahmed Al Kamali from running for the positions of vice president and council member just hours before the elections.

Al Kamali, who is from the United Arab Emirates and was elected to the IAAF Council in 2015, has been suspended "for potential violations of the IAAF Candidacy Rules and the Integrity Code of Conduct", according to the AIU.

The four vice presidents who were elected on Wednesday include Ximena Restrepo, the 1992 Olympic 400m bronze medalist from Colombia who will become the first woman to serve in the position.

The IAAF in late 2016 added minimum gender targets into its constitution to establish parity at all levels in the sport’s governance by 2027.

"I’m really honored to take this position," said Restrepo. "It’s a great moment for me and for my country. I would like to thank you, Seb, because this was only made possible because of you and the changes made to the constitution.

"I think we, as women, now have more opportunities than before. I’d like to thank all of the member federations who voted for me. I hope I can be all that they expected me to be."

Sergey Bubka (Ukraine), Geoffrey Gardner (Norfolk Island) and Nawaf Bin Mohammed Al Saud (Saudi Arabia) were also elected as IAAF vice presidents.

There will be 13 new members on the IAAF Council:

Hiroshi Yokokawa (Japan)

Antti Pihlakoski (Finland)

Anna Riccardi (Italy)

Nan Wang (China)

Adille Sumariwalla (India)

Nawal El Moutawakel (Morocco)

Abby Hoffman (Canada)

Sylvia Barlag (Netherlands)

Alberto Juantorena (Cuba)

Willie Banks (USA)

Raul Chapado (Spain)

Dobromir Karamarinov (Bulgaria)

Beatrice Ayikoru (Uganda)

The IAAF Council will be composed of 26 members, eight of whom are women. The 13 newly elected members will be joined by six Area Presidents and two members of the Athletes' Commission, one man and one woman, including the Chair.

"I am delighted that we have for the very first time elected a female Vice President and that she will be joined by seven other women on council. This is a historic moment," said Coe.

The IAAF Congress meets for a second day on Thursday in Doha. On Friday, the IOC and IAAF will hold their joint meeting. The World Athletics Championships begin on Friday and run through Oct. 6.

IAAF Signs 10-Year Deal for Diamond League

Coe also announced on Wednesday that Chinese multinational conglomerate Wanda Group will become the title partner for the Diamond League for 10 years beginning in 2020.

The IAAF calls the agreement "the biggest commercial partnership in the history of athletics".

As part of the deal, Wanda Sports Group will be organizing in China both an annual Diamond League meet and a new annual IAAF event. Infront, a Wanda Sport Group company, also secures Diamond League media rights for five years beginning in 2025.

Written by Gerard Farek

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