Lord Coe's plan to restore trust in athletics and IAAF
By Stephen Turner
Last Updated: 05/01/16 6:57pm
IAAF president Lord Coe has set out a 10-point plan for restoring trust in athletics and its governing body.
The "roadmap" outlines five tasks for "building trust in the governing body" and another five for "building trust in competition", and a timeline for achieving each aim.
The 10 points include a review of the IAAF's operations and finance, rewriting the organisation's constitution, developing a separate "integrity unit" for athletics and doubling both the anti-doping budget and the international testing pool of athletes.
The ultimate aim of the plan, according to an accompanying statement, is that "the IAAF must become an accountable, responsible and responsive organisation, while the sport must adopt a values-based culture where future athletes learn from clean athletes, coaches and officials."
Coe has faced accusations that as a former IAAF vice-president he is too close to the old regime to lead reform in the wake of corruption allegations and doping revelations.
But he said: "Be under no illusion about how seriously I take these issues. I am president of an international federation which is under serious investigations and I represent a sport under intense scrutiny.
"My vision is to have a sport that attracts more young people. The average age of those watching track and field is 55 years old. This is not sustainable.
"The key to making that vision a reality is creating a sport that people once more trust in. Athletics must be a sport that athletes, fans, sponsors, media and parents alike know is safe to compete in on a level playing field and one in which clean effort is rewarded and celebrated."
