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THE way is slowly clearing up for Zimbabwe’s Minister of Sport, Kirsty Coventry, to become the next president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the new election rules seem to be elbowing out her closest rival, Sebastian Coe of England.

The IOC has introduced new election rules that could prevent the legendary Coe from running for its presidency.

These clarifications come just before Sunday’s deadline to enter the race to succeed Thomas Bach next year.

A letter sent by the IOC ethics commission to its 111 members, including Coe and other possible candidates, including Zimbabwe’s most decorated Olympian Coventry, highlighted challenges for Coe, the 67-year-old head of World Athletics, in serving a full term as IOC president.

The letter emphasised that candidates must be IOC members “on election day and during the entire duration of their term as IOC president.”

Coe’s IOC membership depends on his role at World Athletics, which he must vacate in 2027 after serving 12 years, complicating his eligibility.

Another contender, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, may face issues due to the IOC’s age limit of 70, which could affect his ability to complete a full presidential term.

The letter, signed by Ethics Commission chair Ban Ki Moon, further noted, “The charter makes no exceptions for the president, who is an IOC member under the same conditions as all the other members.”

Coe, a former Olympic champion, has been seen as a strong candidate, but his positions on issues like Russia’s doping scandal and Olympic prize money have at times conflicted with IOC policies.

The ethics commission also raised concerns over holding dual presidential roles, suggesting that Coe’s leadership of World Athletics might pose a conflict of interest if he became IOC president.

This could be resolved through a change in membership status after the election, but Britain currently lacks a spot for an additional individual member following Hugh Robertson’s recent election.

Other potential candidates include ZCoventry, David Lappartient, Prince Feisal al Hussein, and Nicole Hoevertsz. The current IOC president, Thomas Bach, has confirmed he will step down in 2025 after completing his 12-year term, and the next election is set for March in Greece.

Over its 130-year history, the IOC has had nine presidents, all men, with none hailing from Africa, Asia, or Latin America.

The IOC has, meanwhile, “clarified its complex election rules” before a deadline Sunday to enter the race that “apparently could block” Coe as an expected presidential candidate, according to Graham Dunbar of the AP.

Details in the two-page letter dated Monday specified reasons why the likes of Coe “would seem unable to complete a full first IOC mandate of eight years.”

The letter stated that the winning candidate “must be a member of the IOC on election day,” scheduled for March in Greece, “and during the entire duration of their term as IOC president.”

Dunbar reports Coe’s IOC membership is “conditional” on being president of World Athletics, a role he “must leave in 2027 on completing the maximum 12 years in office.”

Coe is “widely considered a most qualified candidate” to lead the IOC next. Another expected candidate, IOC VP Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, who turns 65 in November, could also have “legal issues with the standard age limit of 70 for members defined in the Olympic Charter rules book.”

Coventry and Union Cycliste Internationale president David Lappartient have “seemed to have support” from Bach in recent years. — Agencies/Sports Reporter