World Athletics chief Lord Coe says he would be open to the possibility of moving some indoor sports from the summer Olympics to the winter Games if he becomes the new president of the International Olympic Committee.
Britain’s two-time Olympic 1500m champion published his manifesto on Thursday morning alongside those of the other six candidates in the running to succeed Thomas Bach next year.
“Innovation is critical, we have to be open to new ideas,” he told BBC Sport.
Coe has vowed to shake up the IOC, claiming “too much power is in the hands of too few people”.
Describing the election as “the dance I just couldn’t sit out”, Coe said: “The question I ask myself as a member is – ‘what input do I and other members have?’
“And the reality of it is, there isn’t enough. I’m not sure we’re making the most of the extraordinary talent that sits alongside me. The IOC is not a broken organisation but it can be so much better and it needs change.”
In his proposals, Coe reinforces previous pledges to boost youth sport, introduce “clear, science-based policies” to protect the female category amid continuing debate in sport over gender eligibility rules, and to listen to athletes.
He also says that: “To sustain the Games we must grow – not just financially but also in reach and relevance. Commercial partners and broadcasters want modernisation.”
