Sebastian Coe Joins Sazka Board
Olympic medalist Lord Sebastian Coe has joined the Board of Directors at lottery hopeful, Sazka. Lord Coe, who is also the President of World Athletics, joins the board of the European Operator as it competes for the fourth National Lottery License.
Lord Coe was recently appointed as a member of the International Olympic Committee. ©Anthony/Pexels
Olympic Medal Winner
Sazka Entertainment, Europe’s largest lottery operator, has appointed Lord Sebastian Coe to its Board of Directors. Lord Coe has joined as the Board’s first ever Independent Non-Executive Director, effective since September 14th. In his new role, Lord Coe will bring his expertise of the world of sport to Sazka as it seeks to elevate its funding for good causes.
Founder of Sazka, Karel Komarek personally took the opportunity to welcome Lord Coe to the Board. He spoke of the Olympian’s strength and perspective, which align with the operator’s own ambitions to widen its outreach and boost its funds for good causes. Komarek went further, adding:
“Lord Coe has been a colossal figure on the world stage of sport, politics and business through his long and distinguished career. We’re honoured to have him join our team as its first Independent Non-Executive Director.”
Lord Sebastian Coe started his sporting career as track and field athlete. He won four medals during the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games, as a middle-distance runner. At the 1980 Games in Moscow, Coe won gold in the 1500 metres and silver in his specialty, the 800 metres.
At the 1984 Games, which took place in Los Angeles, Coe repeated that feat, taking gold in 1500 metres and silver in the 800 metres. To this day, Lord Coe remains the only athlete to have won consecutive Olympic 1500 metres titles. Over the course of his athletic career, Coe also set twelve world records. Of these, three were set over just 41 days in 1979.
After over a decade of success, Lord Coe retired from athletics in 1990. He then switched to politics, and was elected as a Conservate MP for Falmouth, Cornwall in 1992. He held his seat there until the 1997 general elections, after which he became Leader of the Opposition William Hague’s chief of staff.
Funds for Good Causes
Sebastian Coe was awarded a life peerage in 2000, earning his title of Lord Coe or Baron Coe. The former athlete successfully headed London’s bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, and went on to Chair the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee. Since 2015, Coe has acted as President of World Athletics.
In that role, Coe has faced one of his most difficult challenges yet. The sporting world was deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as athletes lost access to training facilities and competitions were cancelled and postponed. The Tokyo Olympics, which was planned to take place in 2020, was delayed by a whole year.
Nevertheless, Lord Coe was able to navigate the trials of the pandemic, and the sporting world is well on its way to recovery. In 2020, he became a member of the International Olympic Committee. Now he is set to embark on a new chapter, assisting Sazka in its efforts to support sports.
Thanking Sazka for the opportunity, Lord Coe spoke about what he hopes to bring to his new role. As the Board’s first Independent Non-Executive Director, Lord Coe will support Sazka in its funding efforts for grassroots and elite sports in Europe and further afield. Lord Coe said:
“Over the years I’ve seen the tremendous benefit lottery funds have brought to grassroots and elite sport across the globe. I’m looking forward to joining a team with a proven track record of supporting sport at all levels in the countries where it operates.”
As the biggest lottery operator in Europe, Sazka has become a well-known and established brand. It offers instant and online lottery products, as well as gaming and sports betting services, to markets in the Czech Republic, Austria, Greece, Cyprus and Italy. In all, the operator currently serves a market of more than 79 million people.
Lottery License Competition
Having cemented its foothold in Europe, Sazka has now set its sights on conquering the UK market. In October 2020, it announced that is would enter the fourth National Lottery License Competition. If its bid is successful, it will be awarded the license to operate the National Lottery in the UK for ten years.
Since the National Lottery was launched in 1994, it has been operated by Canadian owned operator, Camelot. During that time, the National Lottery has raised over £41 billion for 565,000 good causes. Camelot has fought off the competition for all three license periods, but could face some stiff competition for the fourth license.
Also competing for the upcoming license is Sazka’s UK brand, especially launched for the competition, Allwyn. Karel Komarek has already appointed organizer of the London Olympics, Sir Keith Mills, to lead the bid. Former pornographer and business mogul Richard Desmond is competing with his company, Northern and Shell.
Italian operator Sisal has also entered the race, having teamed up with BT and children’s charity Barnardo’s. The Gambling Commission, which regulates the UK’s gambling industry, is overseeing the competition for the lottery license, which was set to expire in August 2023. However, due to the pandemic, the current license will now be handed over in February 2024.
Earlier this year, the National Lottery showed its support for Team GB, launching its biggest ever brand campaign. The campaign was unveiled just in time for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, across TV, radio and online. It served to let the public know that when they play the National Lottery, they are supporting Team GB.
A portion of every National Lottery ticket sold goes towards supporting elite athletes. To date, the National Lottery has been able to offer funding to over a thousand elite athletes. This funding is vital to Olympic hopefuls, allowing them to devote more time their sport, compete in competitions and access the best facilities.
