Sebastian Coe has denied lobbying for the American city of Eugene in its bid to host the 2021 World athletics Championships.

The city is closely linked to Nike, which the IAAF president is an ambassador for.

Eugene was awarded the event without a bidding process, despite strong interest from Gothenburg in Sweden.

The governing body calls that process "unusual but not unprecedented" after Osaka got the 2007 version in a similar fashion.

The BBC report that Coe has told them that he "did not lobby anyone" but only "encouraged [Eugene] to re-enter another bidding cycle as they had a strong bid".

Coe's role with Nike has led to questions about the tenability of holding that position and the IAAF presidency simultaneously.