BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Du Zhaocai, head of the Chinese athletics association, was elected the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) Council member here in the governing body's 50th Congress on Wednesday.

In an earlier vote, Britain's Sebastian Coe became the new IAAF president after beating Ukrainian pole vault great Sergey Bubka by 115 votes to 92.

The Congress is held on the eve of the Beijing world championships which start on August 22.

"With the world championships running at the Birds' Nest, Beijing will come to spotlight again. After Beijing won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, the championships will serve as a latest example to demonstrate Beijing's ability to play host to world-class events," said Du, director of Chinese athletics sports administrative center.