The International Athletics Federation's chairman Sebastian Coe is one of seven candidates to succeed Thomas Bach as chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
In an interview with the news agency AFP, Coe says that after the gender debate surrounding the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games last summer, he sees it as very important to protect female athletes, and a priority area if he becomes IOC chairman.
The debate surrounding the participation of female boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting in the Olympic Games, who were allowed to participate despite the International Boxing Federation IBA claiming they had not passed a gender test, made Coe feel uncomfortable. And he demands crystal-clear rules.
I don't think you can take lightly sports like boxing. You need to have clear rules, which are needed in all sports, he says.
Coe believes that it is the Olympic movement that must take the lead with strong leadership.
If we don't protect women's sports and don't have clear and unambiguous guidelines for doing so, we risk losing women's sports. Personally, and as a leader of an Olympic sport, I don't want that to happen.
In March, the IOC will elect a new chairman.
