Coe Hopes For London 2017 To Act As 'Springboard' For Athletics

Following what he called a "rollercoaster" year-and-a-half since beginning his tenure, IAAF President Sebastian Coe is "counting down the clock to the World Athletics Championships in London," according to Matt Majendie of the London EVENING STANDARD. Coe's argument is that track and field "is infinitesimally stronger than before" -- and the hope is London 2017 has the capacity "to act as a springboard to more positive times ahead." Coe said, "I don't think the sport has gone that far that we're looking for London to transform it. But we haven't done as well as we should -- and that has been a gentle decline I'm determined to stop. There's lots of ground we've got to recapture and London is a very important part of that." Coe said that "the public should trust what they see come August." Coe: "This is slightly counter narrative to the current view, but they [the public] have got a significantly stronger case that what they're watching is more legitimate than 20 or 30 years ago" (EVENING STANDARD, 3/9).