Lord Sebastian Coe, IAAF president, described the reform programme launched by the IAAF, which he personally champions as its president, as the effective solution for a sport free of problems, closing the door on any obstacles to progress.
During his visit to Doha as part of the IAAF’s promotional workshop on reforms, Lord Coe said he had made a point of visiting Doha for the third time in less than a year, given his great regard for Asia, the continent with the largest human and material resources in the world. His attendance alongside the reform promotion campaign therefore coincided with the Asian Athletics Association’s 85th meeting, and he pointed to the great importance of the Asian continent in the path of athletics in particular and other sports in general.
Appreciated efforts by Al Hamad
Lord Coe extended his sincere thanks to HE Major General Dahlan Al Hamad, president of the Asian and Qatar athletics federations, for his great efforts in keeping pace with development at the Asian federation, which he leads with complete success across all technical, reform and structural fields, in the British lord’s own words.
The IAAF president said the efforts of Qatar’s Dahlan Al Hamad deserved special appreciation, which was no surprise for Qatar and its people, who are advancing athletics while the whole continent advances with them through great work, noting that Doha would host the 2019 World Athletics Championships.
The British lord said: “I expect Qatar to succeed in organising a great and distinguished championship, with success achieved in every respect. I would also like to affirm that the next edition of the World Championships in London will not face any problems and will be outstanding in its technical and organisational details.”
This came in response to a question about the number of tickets put on sale for the London World Championships in summer 2017 and whether this would pose a problem for London.
Reforms for the better
The IAAF president said the reform programme, carried under the slogan “Time for Change”, was of great importance for the development of athletics, starting with the structure, moving through powers and giving athletes a greater opportunity within the sport, as well as achieving fairness of opportunity for women, alongside work on an anti-doping programme. The British lord affirmed that he expected matters to take full shape in the coming period, ahead of the reform package being approved at the IAAF’s general assembly in Monaco this coming December.
A major role
The IAAF president noted that Asia would be the federation’s destination for sponsorship and marketing, especially as it is home to the world’s biggest sponsors of Formula One and football, while major Asian technology companies sponsor the English Premier League. Asia would therefore be a target for securing the greatest possible financial resources for the IAAF through sponsorship and marketing deals, in the period following the reforms.
Africa, the next stop
British Lord Sebastian Coe revealed their next destination for continuing the promotional campaign for IAAF reforms, saying the African continent would be their next stop to complete the journey towards good governance in international athletics, based on the full authority of the general assembly and the executive power of the president, alongside a complete restructuring of the federation founded on transparency, the fight against doping, and giving athletes a major opportunity to contribute to developing the sport.
