Seb Coe

Seb Coe (now Baron Sebastian Coe) is a former top-level English athlete whose athletics career as a middle-distance runner won him bronze, silver and gold medals in European Championships and Olympic gold and silver medals for 1,500-metre and 800- metre races. Following his retirement from sport and a short career as a conservative politician between 1992 and 1997, he led the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games*, now called London 2012. He was made a life peer (given the title of baron) in 2000 in honour of his sporting achievements.

*The organisation in charge of staging and overseeing the Games.

Note about the Olympic bid
In Singapore in July 2005 cities competing to be chosen to host the Olympic Games (the XXX Olympiad in 2012) each gave a presentation in which they outlined their plans. Bids from Moscow, New York and Madrid were eliminated, and the host city was elected by the IOC (the International Olympic Committee). After the announcement, it emerged London was ahead in every round of voting except the second round when Madrid polled the most votes. In the final round London beat Paris by 54 to 50 votes.

Seb Coe

Seb Coe (now Baron Sebastian Coe) is a former top-level English athlete whose athletics career as a middle-distance runner won him bronze, silver and gold medals in European Championships and Olympic gold and silver medals for 1,500-metre and 800- metre races. Following his retirement from sport and a short career as a conservative politician between 1992 and 1997, he led the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games*, now called London 2012. He was made a life peer (given the title of baron) in 2000 in honour of his sporting achievements.

*The organisation in charge of staging and overseeing the Games.