Sebastian Coe feels he has momentum as the race to become the next president of the International Olympic Committee reaches its final hours.
Most experts believe the seven-strong contest to be the next leader of global sport is on a knife-edge, with Coe one of the “big three” alongside the Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch, who is the favourite, and Kirsty Coventry, who is bidding to become the first female president of the IOC.
However Coe struck an upbeat message after meeting many of the 98 voters who will decide his fate before the vote on Thursday afternoon.
“I feel there is momentum,” he said. “I have enjoyed the campaign and the discussions that I have had. I have listened a lot and I’ve heard about what members are concerned about and what they would like to change.
And I believe my manifesto strikes the right balance of building on the last 12 years and change with purpose and care. It’s an election and I’m enjoying the energy.”
Meanwhile the 41-year-old Coventry also sounded optimistic when she was asked whether it was time for the first women president of the IOC? “Well, I’m biased, so I’m going to say yes,” she replied.
However she refused to be drawn on suggestions that the current IOC president, Thomas Bach, had been lobbying for her behind the scenes – much to the consternation of some of the other candidates.
“I have taken the time to talk to each of the members, and I’m so appreciative,” she said. “That has been one of the best things about this past few months. I’ve gotten to listen to them, hear exactly what’s important to them, what they’d like to see change. And that’s what this is about.”
Meanwhile Samaranch, whose father ran the IOC from 1982 to 2001, also insisted he was confident as the campaign entered its final hours.
“I can promise you that I will be working until the very last second,” he said. “The journey has been an incredible experience for myself, a personal effort that I will always cherish. But now I want to win.”