PICTURES: MARK SHEARMAN/GETTY
IT’S BEEN a long and, at times, very dark year. However, as Seb Coe sat in the stands of the Olympic Stadium in Rio this summer he could clearly make out some shafts of light starting to break through the clouds which have been hanging over athletics.
“TO PARAPHRASE MARK TWAIN, THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF OUR DEATH IS A LITTLE PREMATURE”
The subsequent thrilling climax of the Diamond League competitions, the remarkable demand for tickets for next year’s IAAF World Championships in London – there is undoubtedly life in the old sport yet. How those green shoots of recovery are tended to and nurtured from now on remains key, of course. But the IAAF president at least now has something to hold on to, some headlines of a more positive nature with which to start turning the tide.
He intends to preside over a substantial change to the athletics landscape. “Trust”, “innovation” and “youth” are themes that repeatedly appear during the course of our conversation. He has recently appointed a new chief executive, Olivier Gers, to the organisation and there is a quiet sense of gathering momentum and wheels really starting to turn.
The decision to ban Russian athletes from Rio – albeit one that was not backed up by the IOC – was unmistakeably a watershed moment. It began to alter the perception of Coe as a leader who was looking likely to be swept away by the flood of controversy and instead he began to resemble the more assured statesman-like figure who captained the London 2012 ship.
It is clear, too, that he feels progress is being made. Coe has a lot to thank the Olympics for and the timing of this year’s Games was perfect.
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