Athletics would be ‘insane’ not to change to attract new fans, says Seb Coe
The World Athletics president, Seb Coe, has warned that it would be the definition of insanity to keep doing things in the usual way as he promised radical changes in the next few years.
Speaking after being re-elected for a third and final time as president, Coe told delegates that track and field was in “a race against time” to stay relevant to young people. “It was Einstein who defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and getting the same results,” he said. “It’s time to take a deep and objective look at ourselves, our organisations and activities, and assess our own levels of insanity.”
Coe said that tracking data carried out by Nielsen at the end of 2022 showed that athletics was now ranked fourth in sports interest globally, compared to eighth or ninth in 2015, but added that more needed to be done to stay relevant.
“We are in a race,” he said. “And it is a race we cannot lose. It is a race against time, and it’s a race to continue to capture the imagination of young people. It’s not a race against other sports. It’s a race against all those outside influences that take up their time and, quite frankly, in some cases are more exciting and relevant to their lives.”
Coe also announced that World Athletics was conducting a deep data review to see which events are the most popular. Asked if it could lead to some being scrapped or others added, he replied: “The table is full.”
The World Athletics president insisted that the foundations were in place for the sport to grow, with stars such as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Noah Lyles and others having the talent and personality to have huge crossover appeal.
He said he expected a new sixpart Netflix documentary, out next year before the Paris Olympics, would also help – as would a new three-day global event featuring “the best of the best”, which would launch in 2026.
It is also likely that cross-country running will return for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, while World Athletics also intends to tap more into the growing sports of trail and mountain running.
“The first four years of my mandate was making sure the ship didn’t sink,” Coe said. “We were in a very, very serious position. We restructured the sport and put safeguards in place that we should have had.
“The next four years were really about dealing with all the issues that have been in the in-tray for far too long, such as the ongoing issues of Russia and protecting the female category. I really want the next four years to focus on what is the product? What is it that is going to future-proof the sport for the next 30 or 40 years?”
History was also made on Thursday with half of the 26 World Athletics elected council members being women – the first time that has happened in a major sport.
“I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am to be leading this sport in an era where we now have gender equity in our World Athletics council,” said Coe.
Coe may not complete his final term as there is growing support for him to stand to replace Thomas Bach as International Olympic Committee president when his term ends in 2025. However when asked about standing, Coe replied: “I genuinely haven’t ruled it in and I haven’t ruled it out.”