Asked about seeking IOC presidency, track head Seb Coe says ‘of course I’m going to consider this’

Follow along for the latest updates from today’s Olympic action, including the gold medal men’s basketball game between the U.S. and France.

PARIS (AP) — Olympic running champion and insider Sebastian Coe said “of course I’m going to consider this,” Sunday when asked if he would put his name forward to replace Thomas Bach as president of the International Olympic Committee.

The World Athletics president and Olympic gold medalist who organized the London Olympics in 2012 has long been viewed as a possible replacement for Bach, who surprisingly announced the day before that he would be stepping down in 2025.

Coe is 67 — an age that could work against him in an election. Despite his deep ties with the Olympic movement, he might be considered an outsider candidate given some of the positions he’s taken on topics as diverse as doping, the Russian war against Ukraine and paying athletes.

For instance, World Athletics paid $50,000 first prizes to all the winners at the Olympics this year — a move that wasn’t universally appreciated by sports leaders.

At a news conference to wrap up the Olympic track meet, Coe said he has not made a decision about running.

“I’ve always made it clear that if and opportunity arose, I’d obvously give it serious thought,” he said. “The opportunity has arisen and clearly I need to think about it.”