What are the chances of Chester and Ellesmere Port hosting the World Athletics Championships?
Lord Sebastian Coe was asked the question by Chester MP Chris Matheson.
The International Association of Athletics Federations president was called in to the House of Commons to discuss the scandals surrounding his sport.
Lord Coe was asked about awarding the 2021 World Championships to the US city of Eugene, which has strong links to Nike, the sportswear giant he only recently ended a 38-year partnership with.
Mr Matheson said before the process started he had never heard of the city in Oregon.
He said: “That’s not because I’ve got a deficient geographical knowledge, it’s because it’s a small city of 160,000 people.
“In my constituency Chester and Ellesmere Port has a similar population, what are the chances we are going to get the World Athletics Championships?
“The fact is the only reason Eugene was in the running at all was because of these large corporate sporting interests.”
Mr Matheson sits on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee which held a meeting with the two-time Olympic gold medallist on December 2.
Lord Coe sidestepped the Chester question and denied the American city had been named host for anything other than ‘sound strategic reasons’.
He said: “Before Nike became a player in the area Eugene had a rich history of track and field.
“It’s actually known as Tracktown USA, world records have been broken there.
“Yes it’s a small town, but it is definitely a credible host for the World Championships.”
Ellesmere Port Sports Village and West Cheshire AC might have been the centre piece of any bid from Cheshire West.
Mo Farah has used Eugene, where both Nike and Adidas base their US operations, as a training hub in recent years.
Mr Matheson said: “It’s not a credible host for the world championships.
He said: “I can remember when Manchester bid for the Olympics, but was told only London could get away with it in the UK.
“I know the Olympics are bigger, but how can Eugene with its population size be considered credible? It isn’t is it?”
The IAAF president, who took on the role in August, said a review was being held into the awarding of the 2021 Championships in April without a vote.
Lord Coe said: “With all due respect it is like you are comparing apples with pears here.
“Hosting the World Athletics Championships falls in the foothills compared to what it takes to put together an Olympics Games.
“Eugene is a perfectly credible host for 2021 and quite frankly has more athletics tradition than most other places.”
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