London, Sept 15: Three days after NRI industrialist Lord Swaraj Paul was appointed to the board of London 2012 bid for Olympics, it was reported yesterday that Sebastian Coe, one of Britain's greatest athletes ever, would be appointed as its vice-chairman.
The double Olympic champion is to be given the key role of special counsel to Barbara Cassani, the American businesswoman who is leading the bid, a report in 'The Sunday Times' said. Lord Paul was appointed to the board along with the Princess Royal and Olympic gold medallists Sir Steve Redgrave and Matt Pinsent.
Lord Coe, who won Olympic gold in the 1500m in 1980 in Moscow and again in Los Angeles in 1984, has also been elected to the influential council of Athletics' world governing body, the IAAF.

As deputy head of the London bid, Coe's job will be to raise London's profile on the international stage. With Cassani relatively unknown in the sports world, Coe will be a crucial public face for the bid, particularly among international Olympic committee members who have questioned why an American is in charge, the report said.



With experience as an MP and having been an adviser to William Hague, the former Tory leader, Coe is seen as having good political skills. The 43-year-old Cassani made her name as founder of the low-cost airline Go.


Bureau Report