IAAF Assign Chairman Roles for Coe & Bubka in Commissions Board

Rivals Sebastian Coe and Sergey Bubka, vice-presidents of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and vying for the top job at the athletics’ world governing body have become new chairmans of the IAAF Commissions, along with three others.

Coe, the London 2012 chairman, has replaced Gianni Merlo, Italy’s AIPS President, as chairman of the Press Commission, while Bubka, a member of the International Olympic Committee, takes over the role within the Development Commission previously held by the Senegalese IAAF President, Lamine Diack.

Namibia’s former world 200 metres champion Frank Fredericks replaces Cuba’s 1976 Olympic 400 and 800m champion Alberto Juantorena in the Athletes Commission.

Canadian Jack Agrios takes over from Lauri Tarasti of Finland in the Juridical Commission, while Britain’s former 10,000m world record holder David Bedford replaces Brazilian Robert Gesta De Melo as head of the Road Running Commission.

Seven other chairman remain in situ -Puerto Rioc’s Victor Lopez leads the Coaches Commission, senior vice-president Bob Hersh, from the United States, the Competition Commission, President Diack the Finance and Budget Commission, Spain’s Juan Manuel Alonso the Medical and Anti-Doping Commission, Algeria’s Jamel Simohamed the School and Youth Commission chairman, Qatar’s Dahlan Al Hamad leads the Sustainable Development Commission and Israel’s Alex Gilady the Television Commission.

The Marketing and Promotion Commission, currently headed by Helmut Digel of Germany, will have a chairman only later after next IAAF Council meeting in Spring.