IAAF president Sebastian Coe’s £100,000 Nike role brought under scrutiny from Eugene 2021 bidding process revelations
IAAF president Lord Coe is under pressure to cut ties with Nike after emails revealed he discussed support for Eugene – near to where the sportswear giant has its headquarters – to stage the 2021 World Championships with a senior company executive.
A BBC investigation uncovered an email between Nike exec Craig Masback and Eugene bid leader Vin Lananna in which Masback claims to have received support from Coe who had spoken to then-IAAF president Lamine Diack about the bid.
"I spoke with Seb this morning," the email from January 2015 reads. "We covered several topics but I asked specifically about 2021. He made clear his support for 2021 in Eugene but made equally clear that he had reached out to Diack specifically on this topic and got a clear statement from Diack that 'I am not going to take any action at that April meeting [in Beijing] to choose a 2021 site."
Read more: Why Seb Coe must cut ties with Nike immediately
Eugene was eventually awarded the event without a bidding process, but Lananna has insisted Nike played no part in the process.
The Oregon city had missed out to Doha for the 2019 event.
Coe is believed to receive around £100,000 a year for his role as an ambassador of Nike, an association which came under scrutiny following the revelations of systematic doping in Russian athletics.
Nike currently sponsors Russian athletics, two-time drugs cheat Justin Gatlin and trainer Alberto Salazar who is under investigation from US doping authorities for allegedly breaching rules.
Tory MP Damian Collins, a member of the House of Commons select committee for culture, media and sport, has led the calls for Coe to sever ties with Nike.
Collins wrote on Twitter: "Seb Coe should end his job with Nike if he is to continue as president of the IAAF. The perception of conflicts of interest is too great."
In response, the IAAF posted Coe's response to questions he was posed by the BBC on the matter.
The former Olympian replied: "I did not lobby anyone on behalf of the Eugene 2021 bid. After their narrow defeat for the 2019 World Championships I encouraged them to re-enter another bidding cycle as they have a strong bid."
He will face questions from the committee in parliament next week.