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PICTURES: MARK SHEARMAN
THE CHAMPIONSHIP director of London 2017 believes next year’s IAAF and IPC Championships will reboot a sport that has been hit with doping and corruption in recent years. As he oversees preparations for the two global events, Niels de Vos is confident they will provide the tonic that athletics needs after a difficult 2015-16 spell that saw Russia banned from international athletics and Lamine Diack’s legacy as IAAF president tarnished by revelations of dodgy dealings.
“With all the trials and tribulations the IAAF have been through, it’s nice for Seb Coe and his team to know that they don’t need to worry about the next two IAAF World Championships – outdoors in London and indoors in Birmingham in 2018 – because they are in absolutely safe hands,” says De Vos. “So London 2017 is not just critical to London and British Athletics any more but it’s critical to the relaunch of the whole sport globally and the world audience. So I would be surprised if they’re not thinking ‘thank goodness it’s in London’,” he adds.