The middle-distance running great was in Queenstown yesterday to present an update on the progress of the London Games at the Oceania Olympic National Committee annual meeting.
On the track, he had few peers.
Coe won two 1500m gold medals and two 800m silver medals for his country in back-to-back Olympics, in 1980 and 1984, and is considered one of the best middle-distance runners of all time.
He gave another stunning performance yesterday, but this time he was stationary and standing behind a podium, telling the meeting construction was "on track and on budget".
As chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (Locog), Lord Coe feels a sense of personal responsibility to deliver on what was promised when London won the 2012 vote in Singapore four years ago.
"Those [promises] weren't warm words I said in Singapore to get me through a tricky election," he told the Otago Daily Times.
"Actually, I believe them and that is why we have to deliver on them. It is very, very important."
Despite a global recession, Lord Coe said Locog was continuing to raise money from the private sector and had secured 2 billion ($NZ5.15 billion) in funding.
"We are not remotely complacent, but the reality is we have raised more money than any other organising committee to date. We have a budget that is fixed and we have a project that is employing people in difficult times.
"The power of the Olympic brand is very strong. It is helping us punch through a lot of these difficulties."
The budget for the Games is 9.3 billion, which includes the regeneration of East London and a 2.7 billion pound contingency fund.
Lord Coe said 75 pence in every pound was "devoted to the regeneration of the poorest part of not only the capital city but one of the poorest parts of Europe".
"The current economic circumstances the world faces today makes it imperative we deliver the Games in a sustainable and responsible way.
"The world has changed and, with it, public attitudes. There has never been a better time to reaffirm the ageless values of the Olympic movement."
The global economic crisis has affected private sector plans to develop the Olympic Village.
It will now be paid for from the contingency fund and some design changes have been made.
However, Lord Coe said the athletes' comfort would not be compromised.
Sport came alive on the track and in the pool and not in the boardroom, he said.
But comfortable accommodation, reliable and safe transport and good facilities were important, and it would be up to Locog to provide it, he said.
The village will house up to 17,000 athletes and officials over the course of the games.
Lord Coe described the London Games as compact, with 80% of the athletes staying 20 minutes or less from their venues, and 50% within walking distance.
Work on the schedule of events is under way and a draft is expected be out by the end of the year.
A test event will be staged in 2011 and the final schedule of events is due at the end of the year.
Lord Coe confirmed London's bid budget was 29 million, which is comparable with what the four cities bidding for the 2016 Olympics are spending.
Varying media reports had the figure much lower.
The Coe file
•Sebastian CoeBorn: September 29, 1956.
•Olympic record: Won four medals - gold (1500m) and silver (800m) at both the 1980 and 1984 Games.
•World records: Set eight outdoor and three indoor records in middle-distance events. First man to break 1min 43sec and 1min 42sec barrier for the 800m.
•Now: In charge of London's successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and is chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.
