Coe joins bold Aussie bid
OLYMPIC legend Sebastian Coe has been having private talks with Athletics Australia about bringing the world championships Down Under.
Track and field’s showcase event has never been held in the southern hemisphere but Athletics Australia has found a strong supporter in Coe, the president of the International Association of Athletics Feder- ations. Whether on the track, in the stands or even behind the microphone, Coe knows Australia’s proven record in staging big sports events and wants to bring the championships here.
He said the 2000 Sydney Olympics were “jaw-dropping” and he was just as smitten with this year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
So he agreed to meet with Athletics Australia boss Mark Arbib to discuss a future bid on the sidelines of the International Olympic Committee Congress in Argentina.
“It’s no secret that IAAF president Seb Coe has great affection for Australia and would like to see us host events in the future if we can make a strong case,” Arbib said.
The earliest Australia could host the sport’s biggest event is 2025, but there are plenty of other competitions on the horizon before then, including the world cross-country championships and the world halfmarathon championships.
Frustrated at seeing some events taking place in empty stadiums, Coe wants countries that will embrace different competitions and knows Australia ticks all the boxes, as long as the costs are kept down.
“We are acutely aware that in the management of events, cities have more skin in the game and we recognise the financial pressures that are on the public purse, particularly in liberal democracies where local politicians do have to account for every cent and taxpayers are far more demanding than they’ve ever been,” Coe said.
“So we have to be really hard-nosed about this. We have to make sure that every time we’re seen on the global stage that the choice of city is absolutely attuned to our strategic demands, which means bums on seats, more young people in the sport and a discernible legacy.”
Arbib said it was too early to say which Australian cities were likely to bid for future events but he didn’t expect there would be any problems finding a candidate.
“It’s still very early days, but the meeting is extremely positively,” he said.