WE CAN CLEAN UP THANKS TO THE PRESS

TO many people, yesterday was the worst day in the history of athletics. The International Association of Athletics Federations was demonstrated to have been the most corrupt organisation in the history of sport. But in many ways it was the best day because the sport hit rock bottom and the only way is up. We have now discovered just how entrenched the problems are. We had a governing body not fit to govern and in Russia a member federation which was totally corrupt. Although it is important to remember that this is not just an issue with Russia. Other countries and other sports are likely to be involved. The International Olympic Committee took bribes for votes and FIFA took bribes for the rights to tournaments. But this was the people at the very top of the IAAF taking bribes to cover up doping. It is unprecedented. We are where we are because of a corrupt organisation but this day has been brought about thanks to the rigours of the press. There is only one thing on the agenda for Seb Coe and that is to change this sport for the future. He is really hurting. I shared a room with him at his first major championships in Prague in 1978 when he was robbed of a medal by a drugs cheat, so no one should underestimate how personally affected he is by this. He has made mistakes, such as calling his predecessor Lamine Diack a ‘spiritual leader’ of the sport. However, why would he have been so complimentary about Diack if he knew what was

going on? Seb must now demonstrate strong leadership and he has already started by banning the Russians and increasing anti-doping spending. He is bringing in some serious talent with consultancy firm Deloitte, law firm Freshfields and his Olympic partner Paul Deighton. His demeanour reminds me of those days at the Moscow Olympics between the final of 800 metres, where he was beaten by Steve Ovett, and the 1,500m where he bounced back to win. I’m seeing the same determination from him. Only it is going to be a few horrible years rather than days this time. First he needs to get rid of the poisoned name of the IAAF and change it to something like the World Athletics Federation. The next thing is to move out of their Monaco headquarters. The only reason they are there is to save on tax but it appears secretive and they need to restore public confidence. I also think the old set of world records needs to be parked and a new set begun as of next year. Nobody believes the ones that are here now and how do you decide which ones to keep and which ones to throw out? It doesn’t mean that the old set would be wiped, just that it runs parallel with the new set.