Sebastian Coe is giving up his role as a special adviser to Nike Inc. that left the new president of the IAAF open to accusations that he was vulnerable to conflicts of interest.

Coe told a news conference in Monaco that he felt that "noise" about his ties to Nike were distracting him from his work at the International Association of Athletics Federations.

His long-standing ties to the U.S. sportswear giant have been the focus on intense interest in the British media.