Full speed ahead to U.S. bound World Athletics Championships Oregon22

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe summarizes the success of the 2021 track and field season, and in particular the Tokyo Olympics carried out during a pandemic, in three words: resiliency, bravery and flexibility.

Safely staging competition at the Tokyo Games in cooperation with Japanese counterparts was a herculean task, and now Coe and World Athletics colleagues shift their focus to a new, and obviously very different challenge – how to captivate American sports fans and claim a larger share of the U.S. sports marketplace through next July’s World Athletics championships in Eugene, Oregon. The flagship event, its 18th edition, will be headed Stateside for the first time in history.

“We need to make sure that these championships in Oregon, as important as they are to Oregon, need to be absorbed on screens and ideally with visiting fans from other parts of the United States as well,” said Coe, responding to a question from Around the Rings, virtually from Monaco, following the conclusion of the 53rd World Athletics Congress and Convention.

“This is a very, very important marketplace – it is the largest sports market in the world and we need to be there and be there in higher profile,” said the two-time Olympic 1500-meter champion.

Coe also highlighted the growth of Continental Tour events, a second tier of competitions below the marquee Diamond League circuit, three of 11 of the “Gold Standard” category taking place in the U.S. in 2021 – in Eugene, Boston and Walnut, California.

“We’re working very hard at the moment to successfully expand the Continental Tour program – we’ve gone from a very sketchy beginning to 13 or 14 events, now in the United States and including gold, silver, and bronze events in some of the bigger cities,” the British sports leader said.

“That is important, not just simply in order to broaden the footprint in the U.S., but I want the European and African-based athletes to have more opportunities to secure their financial futures in as many markets as possible.

“So, actually the U.S. market is important for a number of reasons.”

World Athletics chief executive officer Jon Ridgeon offered a quick preview as to what might be expected from the 10-day world championships, July 14-24, 2022.

“We’re very excited about the championships in America next year – we have great live slots every evening on NBC and the USA team should perform spectacularly and that alone will really help grow audiences and our fan base in America,” Ridgeon said.

“Believe me, we’re also putting a lot of time into the show and the sport presentations to make sure that Athletics absolutely puts its best foot forward in terms of trying to grab the attention of the general U.S. sports fan, rather than just the passionate Athletics fans.”

Ridgeon says that even the creative side of the work is a joint cooperation between World Athletics, United States Track and Field and Eugene organizers. Events will occur during the day, so unlike in Tokyo, elaborate light shows will not be a part, however, according to Ridgeon, there will be plenty of bells and whistles to complement the action on the track.

“You’ll see some new elements that will hopefully bring both the spectators in the stadium and the TV audience closer to the athletes to create some new moments of drama around the competition,” said the World Athletics CEO.

The world’s best runners, jumpers and throwers will compete at historic, albeit renovated, Hayward Field, its fame enhanced by American running legend Steve Prefontaine in the early 1970′s and also renowned for it’s proximity to Nike’s World Headquarters, about 120 miles up the road.

“Eugene is going to be the perfect backdrop because it is going to be intimate setting and every seat will be absolutely packed for every session,” Ridgeon said about Hayward Field, which is now expandable to accommodate 30,000 spectators. “Ticket sales have gone very strongly and they’re a knowledgeable crowd, and it’s going to be a brilliant backdrop for the world championships.”

Hayward Field was torn down in June 2018, just three years prior to its 100th anniversary as the home of the Oregon track program, and has been remodeled into a visually stunning, $200 million state-of-the-art facility.

An estimated 2,000 athletes representing 190 countries are expected to compete in Oregon.

Russian Athletics suspension continues

Coe also addressed the World Athletics Council’s decision to continue the suspension of the Russian Athletics Federation, initiated in November 2015 due to doping transgressions, conceding that progress has been made. He was asked if the imposed sanctions could end prior to the Paris 2024 Games.

“I’m not going to make predictions, as I did point out in Congress, Rune Anderson presented his third report of the Task Force at a Congress and that is too long,” Coe said, referring to the Norwegian chair of the committee.

“This does need to brought to a sensible conclusion – I am optimistic that we really are moving in the right direction, but it’s very clear to me, that it will be when the Task Force provides the Council with the confidence and understanding that the reinstatement plan has been properly implemented,” Coe said.

The 126-member Council voted in favor to continue the suspension by an overwhelming majority, as they have been advised that RAF has not met all of the reinstatement requirements. Eighteen delegates voted against the continuation while 34 abstained.

“And the recognition of RUSADA, as is the case with any National Anti-Doping agency as a properly functioning entity, is part of that re-instatement plan,” Coe added.

“That, however, is an element that is slightly beyond our control.”

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