IAAF President Sebastian Coe seems set to be a member of the International Olympic Committee next year ©Getty Images

International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Sebastian Coe appears to be on course to finally join the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after it was revealed here that he had been initially proposed for membership four years ago.

IOC President Thomas Bach claimed that he first put Coe's name forward in 2015 following his initial election as President of the IAAF but his application had raised concerns with the organisation's Ethics Commission about possible conflicts of interest.

These were linked to Coe's position as chairman of CSM Sport & Entertainment, a global brand agency that works with several companies and organisations who work on behalf of the Olympic Movement.

Coe, meanwhile, is understood not to have actively pursued joining the IOC because he wanted to concentrate on his role at the IAAF and overseeing a series of reforms to help restore confidence in the world governing body following the Russian doping crisis and corruption linked to his predecessor Lamine Diack.

But Coe's membership is now firmly back on the agenda following his re-election for a second term as IAAF President here last Wednesday (September 25). 

It is understood that the double Olympic gold medallist and Bach have held informal discussions here during his visit to attend the opening weekend of the IAAF World Championships. 

Coe has reassured Bach that his role at CSM is mainly advisory and he is not involved in the day-to-day operations of the London-based company.

President Thomas Bach, right, is believed to have had informal discussions with Sebastian Coe about becoming an IOC member following his re-election as head of the IAAF ©Getty Images
President Thomas Bach, right, is believed to have had informal discussions with Sebastian Coe about becoming an IOC member following his re-election as head of the IAAF ©Getty Images

Coe's potential membership could be discussed, along with that of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, at the IOC Executive Board meeting in Lausanne next Wednesday and Thursday (October 2 and 3). 

It would then need to be formally recommended by the IOC Members Election Commission, chaired by Britain's Princess Royal, before being confirmed by the IOC Executive Board.

The final step would be the full membership formally approving his membership at the IOC Session on the eve of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

Since the IAAF was founded in 1912, four of its six Presidents have been members of the IOC.

These include Sweden's Sigfrid Edström, who later served as the fourth President of the IOC.

If Coe does join the IOC, he will also emulate the remarkable achievement of another Briton, Lord Burghley.

Like Coe, he was an Olympic gold medallist, in the 400 metres hurdles at Los Angeles 1932, served as Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party, was head of the Organising Committee when London organised the Olympics in 1948, was chairman of the British Olympic Association and then President of the IAAF.