Sebastian Coe couldn’t have asked for a more difficult time to take over the reins of the IAAF (International Association of Athletic Federations).
Ever since the British middle-distance legend succeeded the now-disgraced Lamine Diack as president of athletics’ world governing body in August last year, the IAAF has been rocked by scandal after scandal, mostly involving his predecessor Diack and his family.
Questions have also been raised on Coe’s role in the whole controversy, particularly his unusual silence on the whole matter, though even his ardent critics admit that his integrity was and remains unquestionable, and that the IAAF couldn’t have asked for a better and more capable leader to tide over the current crisis and restore its battered image.
Coe, who was here yesterday to mark the 100-day countdown to the season-opening Doha Diamond League meeting to be held on May 6, admitted that the IAAF was going through perhaps its worst ever crisis. “The last few months have been the most troubling and difficult months for us. The image of the IAAF has been badly hit, the credibility of our sport faces a big question mark, but we must not lose hope. We learn from the past to shape the future, and that’s what we would be doing here,” Coe, who in his role as IAAF chief is also the chairman of the Diamond League, told reporters yesterday.
“We have a tough road ahead,” he added, “but we shall overcome the obstacles and restore the image of our sport. We need to rebuild trust on the track, we need to rebuild trust in the federations, and we need everyone’s support to help achieve this, we need to move together.”
As a first step, Coe has already doubled the anti-doping budget to $8 million. He has also laid out a two-part 10-point plan—one part to reform the crisis-hit world governing body and another to build confidence in competitions. He also plans to appoint a new chief executive for the IAAF by mid-2016, establish a separate integrity unit for athletics before August’s Rio Olympics, and double the current international testing pool of athletes to 1,000.
“The integrity unit will review issues such as doping, corruption, betting and age manipulation. We are also waiting for the recommendations of an independent commission that has been set up to prepare a roadmap for the future. Be under no illusion about how seriously I take these issues. I am president of an international federation which is under investigation and I represent a sport under intense scrutiny. I have been given a mandate to cure the ills and I shall achieve that,” Coe reiterated.
He also said his target to attract a younger audience for the sport. “The average age of those watching track and field is 55 years old. This is not sustainable. The key to making that vision a reality is creating a sport that people once more trust in. Athletics must be a sport that athletes, fans, sponsors, media and parents alike know is safe to compete in on a level playing field and one in which clean effort is rewarded and celebrated.
“Doubling the anti-doping budget is not just to create more stringent checks and measures, we also need to expand it to education. Coaching sits at the heart of our sport, a proper coaching set-up is a must to educate the budding athletes about the ills of doping,” he added.
Coe was all praise for the support and efforts of the Qatar Athletic Federation (QAF), especially its president Dahlan al-Hamad.
“Qatar has been a very active partner in realising the IAAF’s vision. The QAF has always extended a helping hand whenever we have needed them. Their organisational skills have been amazing; the events they have hosted have been top class. The Doha Diamond League has always been one of the best organized events on the IAAF calendar, and I am sure next month’s Asian Indoor Athletics Championships (February 19-21) will set another benchmark,” Coe said.
The IAAF chief will also inspect some under-construction facilities and oversee Doha’s preparations for the 2019 World Championships during his two-day stay.
“The future of our sport lies in Asia and the Middle East. It’s a big thing that Qatar is hosting the first ever World Championships to be held in the Middle East. The economy is on the ascend in this part of the world, people here have more leisure time than their counterparts in say Europe or the Americas, so much of our younger audience will come from this region.”
QAF president Dahlan al-Hamad said it was big honour to have Coe in Doha. “He faces a challenge that no other IAAF president has faced before, but he has courageously and tirelessly fighting the battle to secure the future of athletics. He has also brought about a transparent way of governance since taking over the IAAF, which is a most welcome thing to happen.  
“It is true that athletics is going through a very inconvenient situation, but such is the potential and dynamics of our sport, that I am convinced we will soon overcome every possible obstacle and thrive towards a brighter future, a future even more shiny than the glory days of the past,” the QAF chief said.