Sergey Bubka, the former Olympic pole vault champion from Ukraine, has confirmed he will stand against Sebastian Coe for the presidency of the IAAF, Dailymailuk reports. Bubka is, like Coe, currently a vice-president of athletics’ international governing body and has long coveted the chance to succeed long-standing president Lamine Diack, who steps down in August. The 51-year-old, who made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee in 2013, said: ‘I am seeking the IAAF presidency to give something back to the world of athletics which has given so many opportunities to me throughout my life.’ Bubka, who won Olympic gold in 1988, said encouraging young people’s interest in athletics and ‘clean sport’ would be his priorities. He added: ‘I have been honoured to serve athletics alongside Lamine Diack, with my colleagues and friends. ‘Now that Mr Diack has decided to step down as president, I wish to build upon the progress achieved by the IAAF under his leadership to ensure that the sport of athletics and its governing body are world-class and an example to others with regard to governance, transparency and ethics. ‘We also need to provide greater grassroots support to inspire the next generation of athletes; we need to better engage with young people and build new audiences; and we need to ensure protection of clean sport.’