London will host the 2017 IAAF World Championships from July to August, the largest event to be held in the city since the 2012 Olympics. London 2017 Managing Dir SALLY BOLTON is tasked with ensuring the event's successful delivery. Bolton, who was brought on board in May '14, has already had an extensive career in the rugby league sector, serving as director of projects and planning for the Rugby Football League and as general manager for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. Bolton talked with SBD Global about transitioning from rugby league, community engagement and combating doping.
On transitioning from rugby to athletics ...
Sally Bolton: Athletics is a global sport and has some of the biggest stars to work with. Rugby league was a fantastic time for me. I worked with some major brands like Wigan Warriors and the England national team, but this is a much bigger challenge and I am thrilled with the opportunity to work with the team here in the U.K. to deliver the best ever world championships.
We are working to stage an impeccably organized, athlete-focused World Championships. We want to create the optimum conditions for the world’s greatest athletes to perform and inspire. We also want to make a difference to the communities in which we operate -- here in the U.K. and internationally.
London 2017 will be the biggest event to be staged in the London Olympic Stadium since the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We will see 3,300 athletes from over 200 nations competing over 18 days of world class action.
The event is also a "world first." It is the first time that the IAAF and IPC World Championships will be staged in the same city in the same summer. It’s very exciting.
On the challenges of hosting the event ...
Bolton: Britain loves major sports events. We have seen that with the global events that have been staged here such as London Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, and the recent Rugby Union World Cup.
We now have another event to excite the public and we are sure that they will support the athletes in huge numbers.
One of the challenges I have is in building a team to deliver such a huge event but we have almost completed the senior team and I am thrilled with the expertise that is now within London 2017.
On community engagement ...
Bolton: This is one of the areas which we are really focusing on in the buildup to London 2017.
We have a great relationship with many of the London Boroughs -- especially the London Borough of Newham and its elected Major Sir Robin Wales.
We are shaping a number of community engagement programs with our partners and want the event to make a real difference to the communities in which we operate.
We believe that London 2017 will appeal to a wider consumer audience beyond the athletics fans -- especially families -- and we are working with British Athletics to create a new generation of athletics supporters in the U.K.
We are very proud of our Leadership and Excellence in Athletics Program. This program aims to introduce young people from 10 different countries to athletics and develop their basic skills.
Just over a year ago, we introduced "LEAP" into Uganda. Fourteen athletics tutors were trained by LEAP from all regions of Uganda from May 2014. They have so far trained over 1,000 young athletics leaders between the ages of 13 and 20. These young leaders are then deployed to schools across Uganda to provide athletics sessions for young people. It’s a great success.
On comparisons to previous events ...
Bolton: London 2017 will be the biggest event to be staged in the London Olympic Stadium since the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It’s big and will inevitably draw comparisons with other major events like London 2012 and Rugby World Cup.
We are comfortable with this as we are also one of the biggest sports events in the world.
The IAAF World Championships and IPC World Championships will have over 3,000 athletes taking part in one of the very top events in their sport. Only the Olympics and Paralympics is bigger, but the World Championships are very close behind.
London 2012 was an amazing event. A wonderful moment in time. We are confident that we can bring back that feeling at London 2017.
On doping ...
Bolton: We are working closely with the IAAF and IPC on anti-doping programs to ensure that London 2017 is delivered exactly to their specifications.
This work will ramp up over the next 18 months. As event organizers, we will do everything that is asked of us to help the IAAF and IPC perform their duties and support them in any way that we can.
On future plans ...
Bolton: I haven’t given that a single thought to be honest. We are fully focused on building London 2017 to be one of the best events that has ever been staged in the U.K., and I will look to the future once my work here is done.
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