SINGAPORE — Singapore Athletics chief Tang Weng Fei may not have travelled the 700,000km reportedly put in by Sebastian Coe — the newly-elected president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) — in his bid to woo voters, but nonetheless, he believes that his failed attempt at winning the treasurer post has not been a “wasted journey”.

Yesterday’s IAAF Congress in Beijing saw 211 members of the world governing body voting for its new executive committee, with Royal Spanish Athletics Federation president Jose Maria Odriozola elected treasurer after garnering a majority 102 votes, while his closest challenger Tang — who had backed Coe’s opponent, Sergey Bubka — received 68 votes.

Tang’s four-month campaign had seen him travel to countries such as Qatar, China and Columbia, as the 61-year-old oil trader made his bid to become only the second Singaporean to be part of the IAAF Council since veteran administrator Maurice Nicholas (member, 1981-1995).

Speaking to TODAY in a phone interview from Beijing, Tang admitted that he was “slightly disappointed” with the result, but gave Odriozola his vote of confidence. “Jose Maria is very experienced and I’m sure he’ll do a fantastic job,” he said.

“He has built up a lot of contacts and relationships over the years he’s been involved in athletics and a lot of people trust him, so it was hard to beat him in the elections.

“But overall, it’s been an awesome and exciting three to four months for me. I’ve expanded my contacts and, what was especially pleasing for me, was to hear people commend Singapore for having a good system in place. I may not have been elected as treasurer, but I’ve learnt a lot of lessons, so it’s not a wasted journey.”

Coe, a two-time Olympic 1,500m gold medallist, won a four-year term as IAAF president after receiving 115 votes to Ukraine pole vault icon Bubka’s 92.

Coe and the new executive committee’s immediate task will be to restore the image and credibility of the IAAF amid allegations of widespread doping in the sport.

But Tang is confident that Coe, along with re-elected vice-president Bubka, will be able to help guide the world governing body through this crisis, as well as grow the sport around the world.

“In Coe, the IAAF has a very good president in charge and this augurs well for the future of the sport,” said Tang. “He communicates really well, is able to explain his thoughts and policies, and is excellent in raising sponsorship.

“The IAAF is definitely in good hands, and with Bubka aiding Coe, we have two excellent men leading the federation.

“But the first thing they’ll need to do is to get to the bottom of these doping allegations, which are damaging the reputation of the sport.

“The issue was discussed during the congress, but it’s important now for them to ensure that each of the national federations remain vigilant in their fight against doping.”

While Tang’s foray into the international world of athletics has ended for at least the next four years, he says he will remain focused on the local athletics scene as SA president.

“I will still continue in my role as SA president, there’s no doubt about that,” he said.

“We managed to achieve our expectations at the SEA Games, but we have to move forward from that and improve. “We’ve just started making progress in local athletics, and now we’re looking to put into place a sustainable programme to help athletes and coaches develop to their full potential.”