Olympics: Princess Anne to retain post

Princess Anne will not make way for Sebastian Coe as one of Britain's two representatives on the disgraced International Olympic Committee, writes Alan Hubbard. Despite speculation that she would shortly resign because of her disenchantment over the Salt Lake City scandal the Princess, a former Olympian herself, has privately made it clear that she intends to continue for the foreseeable future. I understand that members of Britain's National Olympic Committees have been left in no doubt that the Princess Royal intends to put more personal pressure on the IOC to clean up its act. There have been strong rumours that double Olympic 1,500 metres champion Coe, now chief aide to Tory leader William Hague, was poised to take her place on the IOC, alongside the British Olympic Association chairman, Craig Reedie. Coe is known to be much admired by the IOC president, Juan Antonio Samaranch, who recently recruited Coe to join a commission looking at ways of improving its image. He is also being touted as a future president of the International Amateur Athletics Federation with the present incumbent Dr Primo Nebiolo expected to step down later this year. Next weekend's Royal wedding means that Princess Anne is unable to attend the IOC session in Seoul when the site for the 2006 Winter Olympics will be selected under new rules of secrecy drawn up after the bribery scandal of Salt Lake City.

The clean Olympic bid? page 15