Sebastian Coe’s flickering hopes of a third...

Sebastian Coe’s flickering hopes of a third straight Olympic 1,500-meter title were dashed when the head of the International Olympic Committee abandoned efforts to seek a special wild-card entry for the middle-distance runner to compete at Seoul.

IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch said he was “very sorry” about withdrawing his plan for a wild-card entry but said he had to abide by the Olympic charter and the wishes of Coe’s fellow athletes.

“Sebastian Coe is a very special athlete and a very special person also,” Samaranch said. “The Olympic movement is in debt to him. (But) the Olympic charter is very clear. It says only three athletes (per event) per country” can go to the Games.

The 31-year-old Coe, 1,500-meter Olympic champion in 1980 and 1984, failed during the British Olympic trials to reach the final of the 1,500 and skipped the 800-meter event, in which he still holds the world record.