Bubka has served on the World Athletics Council since 2001, but insidethegames revealed earlier this week he is leaving the governing body having opted not to stand for re-election, which followed criticism in his native Ukraine for a failure to condemn Russia's invasion in February 2022 and revelations that he has been doing business with them by supplying petrol in the occupied regions of his country. 

He has mostly lived abroad since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine and has failed to express any criticism of the war. 

Bubka did, though, express gratitude members of the athletics community who "support Ukraine in this terrible war", insisting "we will never forget, we are united around Ukraine".

Coe beat fellow International Olympic Committee member Bubka by 115 votes to 92 in a Presidential election in 2015 to succeed the disgraced Lamine Diack at World Athletics.

He has since served as senior vice-president after being appointed to the role by Coe. 

Coe hailed Bubka as "the inspiration behind the current popularity of pole vault", following a career which saw him win an Olympic gold with the Soviet Union at Seoul 1988, three World Championships titles representing the country and three for independent Ukraine and also break the world record 35 times.

Bubka reflected on his athletics career in accepting the Gold Award of Merit, World Athletics' highest distinction.

"What I achieved, what I am doing, I am doing with my heart and with my soul for our lovely sport," he said.

"I really appreciate all the colleagues who've been together through so many years, my coache,s my family and of course you my family.

"We went through a very difficult and challenging time, Seb received the Presidency in the most difficult and hard period of our history, and there is a lot of reforms, a lot of changes, a lot of progress.

"You can see today we are strong, and we are united.

"Our future depends on our strength to be united."

Bubka's decision to step down from World Athletics is the latest high-profile he has vacated since the invasion of Ukraine. 

He was National Olympic Committee of Ukraine President until November last year, when left after 17 years in the role.

Bubka was appointed by the IOC to lead Taskforce to coordinate the Olympic Movement's support for Ukraine after the full-scale invasion in February last year, but he widely assumed within the country to have close links to Putin and to have collaborated with Russia. 

A report by Ukrainian publication Bihus.info, found his family business Mont Blanc appeared in the Russian register of legal entities at the start of this year.

It is claimed Mont Blanc engaged in three contracts to supply fuel in occupied Ukrainian territories.

Another departing World Athletics Council member in Cuba's Montreal 1976 men's 400 and 800 metres Olympic champion Alberto Juantorena was also awarded the Gold Award of Merit.

Juantorena was the longest-serving member of the Council having served on it since 1987, but opted not to stand for re-election due to ill health.

He could not be present to receive the award in person in the Hungarian capital, but Coe lauded his achievements in the sport in Cuba and internationally.

Japan Athletics Federation President Hiroshi Yokokawa, who served on the Council from 2015 but did not stand for re-election yesterday, received the Silver Award of Merit.

Veteran pins were also awarded by World Athletics to officials including former International Olympic Committee vice-president Kevan Gosper of Australia, British official Malcolm Rogers and Senegal's only Olympic medallist Amadou Dia Ba, winner of the men's 400m hurdles silver at Seoul 1988.