World Athletics President Sebastian Coe Warns Against Political Overreach in Global Sports

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has shared his straightforward philosophy regarding the prevention of political interference in international sports. Speaking at the European championships, Coe remarked, “The balance is keeping the politicians on the bus but not letting them anywhere near the steering wheel.” The head of World Athletics was addressing concerns about avoiding political turmoil at the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

During the discussion, Coe also touched upon several other critical subjects, including track and field's ongoing ban on Russian athletes, the role of private equity in sports, and FIFA's recent credibility crisis stemming from a controversial overturned red card at the World Cup.

FIFA faced heavy criticism after United States President Donald Trump contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request that US forward Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension be overturned, a request that world football's governing body ultimately fulfilled. President Donald Trump will be nearing the end of his second term when the LA Games arrive.

The 69-year-old Coe, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and former elected member of the British parliament, led the bidding and organising committees for the 2012 London Olympics. Emphasizing the necessity of strong government collaboration, Coe noted, “I ran the London Games. I know it’s really important that you have really good working relationships with government, prime ministers. The delivery of the Games is in large part predicated on those relationships – with Treasury, Defence, Homeland Security, in our terms the Home Office.”

However, when external figures attempt to influence sporting decisions through phone calls, Coe stressed that it is “entirely down to the resilience of a sporting organisation to say, ‘I hear what you say, but thank you and goodnight.’” He added, “I think I probably achieved that quite well in London. But not having those relationships is dangerous. Of course, there’s a balance.”

Addressing Gianni Infantino’s controversial and ultimately failed plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity investors—which left the FIFA president fighting to keep his position—Coe observed that the concept is “not as unfamiliar territory as people tend to think.” He explained that private equity and sovereign wealth funds have invested in sports for the past decade, linking the ambitions of member federations directly to their revenue-raising capabilities.

“Private equity is a big play in many sports. There are individual athletics federations at this very moment I know are discussing partnerships with external sources of revenue including private equity,” Coe stated. Despite Gianni Infantino admitting a lack of transparency in his FIFA proposal—though receiving backing from Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the recently completed World Cup—Coe emphasized that strong governance and consultation are vital when dealing with private investors.

Coe also highlighted that World Athletics has broadcast and sponsorship deals expiring in 2029, making discussions about external revenue streams an essential priority for the executive board.

Additionally, Coe confirmed he will attend the Court of Arbitration for Sport to defend World Athletics' strict ban on Russian athletes. Although the International Olympic Committee previously lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and advised sports bodies that vetting Russian athletes as neutrals is no longer necessary, World Athletics has chosen to maintain the ban initiated after Russian forces invaded Ukraine more than four years ago. Russian Athletics subsequently appealed to the Switzerland-based CAS to overturn these sanctions.

“I will be in the Court of Arbitration (for Sport) defending our position,” declared Coe, who narrowly lost a bid last year to become IOC president. “We will continue to do what we think is in the best interest of our sport. The primacy of an international federation to determine what eligibility looks like in the sport is the base of the pyramid.” He concluded, “When we have been to the court before on previous occasions, that concept has been upheld. This is not about politics or passports. This is about the integrity of competition. That is the position we will be defending.”