Lord Coe won’t run in BBC Trust race

Former athlete, Conservative politician and London Olympics chief Sebastian Coe has taken himself out of the running for the role of chairman of the BBC Trust.

The position at the helm of the Trust, the organisation that oversees UK public broadcaster the BBC, is vacant after previous chair Chris Patten vacated the role after three years, citing health concerns. He has since taken a role advising the Vatican on its media strategy.

Coe was widely regarded the frontrunner for the high-profile Trust role, but told UK newspaper The Daily Mail that he did not have the relevant qualities for the Trust position and would instead pursue an upcoming vacancy running the International Athletics Associations Federation.

“On reflection, I haven’t the capacity and I now want to concentrate on my current  commitments and the IAAF election,” Coe told the Mail. “As everyone knows, athletics is in my DNA.”

Coe’s withdrawal leaves foemer Pearson boss Dame Marjorie Scardino, British peer and former journalist and editor Lady Wheatcroft and Channel 4 chairman Lord Burns among the likely candidates.