After helping deliver the London Summer Games "on time and under budget," four-time Olympic champion Sebastian Coe "wants to overhaul track and field," according to Danielle Rossingh of BLOOMBERG.
The 58-year-old Briton presented his platform for next year’s election of the presidency of the Int'l Association of Athletics Federations, "outlining plans to attract a younger audience by streamlining the calendar, introducing events on city streets and creating an ethics department." Coe: "This is all about growing athletics in a new age." The IAAF members "will vote for a president to replace 81-year-old Lamine Diack in Beijing in August, ahead of the world championships." Diack, of Senegal, "has been in charge of the world governing body for 16 years." The highest job in athletics "may pit Coe against another former champion, Olympic pole vaulter Sergei Bubka." The Ukrainian said on Twitter two days ago he will announce his plans "in due time" (BLOOMBERG, 12/3). The PA reported the four pillars of Coe's manifesto are:
- reforming the world athletics calendar and bringing in city center "street athletics" competitions;
- maximizing commercial growth and focusing on youth engagement;
- increasing resources for anti-doping and creating a new IAAF ethics department;
- changes to the IAAF internal structure to give a greater voice for athletes (PA, 12/3).
