by Larry EderUpdated March 27, 2016
We reposted this as we believe that it is an important read. We also believe that Seb Coe, whatever his blemishes, is the man to lead the sport. Note some of the questions that I asked. For the sport to regain its past stature the ability for the ban on Russia and possibly other countries must hold until there is true change. That does not happen in four months or six months. President Coe will now have to stand up, quite possibly to the IOC, who, some suggest wants Russia back into the athletic family by Rio. I think that the Melodonium crisis is telling us several things: a) WADA needs to do its job much better and b) IAAF has to have an investigative unit to disrupt doping pipelines and opportunities to use drugs made for real uses to be used to cheat in sports.
Seb Coe is great in front of a camera or an interviewer’s recorder.
Those are skills that a modern sports leader must possess. In the first nine months of his presidency, the sordid actions of the past administration have come out putting him on the defensive constantly. In that time, Seb Coe has been blamed for everything but global warming. While Mr. Coe is not without sin, he is also someone who loves the sport, and possesses the skill set, I believe, to put the sport in the right direction.
I was fortunate to get five minutes with President Coe. In that time, I asked him seven questions, on drugs, on the challenges of the sport, on the Russian issues and he answered them with crisp answers, on topic and with thoughtful responses.
