Seb Coe Outlines Eight Initiatives for Athletics

(ATR) In his bid to win the IAAF presidency, Seb Coe has created a 100-day plan to implement if he wins the election.

The core of this 100-day plan outlines eight initiatives the athletics federation could achieve using Coe’s plan. He says he would like to see all eight goals accomplished by 2016.

First and foremost, Coe would like to see a reform group created to analyze the athletics calendar and make changes as necessary, along with a detailed review of IAAF structures and resource use. Furthermore, he wants to create an independent anti-doping agency that could handle all of the federation’s needs for its competitions.

Along with these changes, Coe wants to focus on many youth initiatives to help grow the sport from the ground up. These include encouraging enhanced engagement with a youth specific marketing and communications division, appointing a values commission to guide and support young athletes and revamping the mobile regional development centers.

The remaining initiatives laid out by Coe involve developing an internal communications strategy and creating an in-house commercial department to sustain relationships between the IAAF and commercial partners.

These eight initiatives coincide with Coe’s manifesto published in December last year. Coe believes these initiatives along with his manifesto could help usher in a "new and exciting golden era" for athletics.

If Coe is to see these initiatives through, he must first win the election to become the federation’s sixth president. Coe will face off against Sergey Bubka, Olympic pole vaulter and IAAF vice president since 2007.

The election will take place August 19 in Beijing before the IAAF world championships begin.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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