I was dismayed to see the interpretation put on our motives, our judgments and our actions, there is nothing in the history of our sport in the last 15 or 20 years other than us being on the cutting edge of either trying to develop the science of weeding out the cheats or taking the actions appropriate to finding them.

Sebastian Coe

Categorized in : Sports

You have to say that the scope and scale of these allegations takes it beyond simply a competitor deciding to step beyond the moral boundary, the very fact that the allegations are in the public domain means that they are serious. So, we have to be very clear that this is a very, very difficult time for our sport.

You have to say that the scope and scale of these allegations takes it beyond simply a competitor deciding to step beyond the moral boundary, this is not in every country of the world, there are 213 federations. But you do have to say a disproportionate amount of the reputational damage is in a relatively small number of countries, and I think we have to recognize this.

They are very serious allegations, the very fact that the allegations are in the public domain means that they are serious. So, we have to be very clear that this is a very, very difficult time for our sport.

I think I'm probably just an old-fashioned Tory. I don't wake up each morning trying to figure out what kind of Conservative I am; for me it's quite instinctive.

i-am me wake-up morning

We have to recognise there are very few countries you will take the Games to where somebody doesn't have issues on foreign or domestic policy.

will you policy games

The great thing about athletics is that it's like poker sometimes: you know what's in your hand, and it may be a load of rubbish, but you've got to keep up the front.

great know you sometimes

I do genuinely believe that young people who play sport at a competitive level, sensibly controlled, sensibly organised, that has to be a good thing. It will teach them to win, it will teach them to lose with dignity and magnanimity - all the things you want. It's a pretty good metaphor for life.

good you life people

Everybody recognises that giving young people competitive outlet... by Sebastian Coe

Everybody recognises that giving young people competitive outlet through sport is a very good thing.

good young giving people

I've never sent an email in my life. My kids laugh. I often hand the phone to them and say, 'Can you text this message to somebody.' I don't even have a computer on my desk.

laugh my-life you life

I actually don't believe in big government, and half the time I'm never quite sure I believe in government, generally.

never government time believe

The biggest fragility in a project is often just the inability to be able to explain to people why you are doing it, and when you're going to do it, and what's going to happen.

explain doing you people

I will go to my grave believing that participation is best driven... by Sebastian Coe

I will go to my grave believing that participation is best driven by the well-stocked shop window.

will best go window

When I moved to Sheffield and went to a secondary modern in the Seventies, there were certain challenges: if you've got a name like Sebastian, you either learn to fight or to run.

name fight you challenges

I'm such an odd mix of things. My grandfather was Indian: I've got more family living in India than I do in the U.K. My old man was East London. I was brought up in Yorkshire. My great-grandfather was Irish.

man old-man family grandfather

I can be a bit impatient sometimes. If I'm really focusing on something, I can expect everybody to move at the same pace, and that's probably not massively endearing.

expect something i-can sometimes