The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) will double its anti-doping budget and rewrite its constitution in a bid to clean up the sport.
IAAF president Sebastian Coe revealed his vision of how “trust” could be restored in athletics, broken down into two components: building trust in the governing body and building trust in the competition.
The latter involves an increase in the anti-doping budget from US$4m (£2.7m, €3.7m) to US$8m (£5.5m, €7.4m) by mid-2016, as well as doubling the current international testing pool of athletes to 1,000. This section of the blueprint also details the ambition to create an “integrity unit” to guard against doping, corruption, betting and age manipulation, as well as greater resources set aside for the investigation of doping schemes.
Last month, Coe admitted that athletics was at a
”crossroads” following the publication of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s milestone report into Russian doping, the allegations of corruption being levelled at his predecessor Lamine Diack, as well as questions over his own future following his alleged involvement in Eugene’s bid for the 2021 World Athletics Championships.
Coe’s “roadmap” for rebuilding trust in the IAAF includes a vetting process for governing body officials being put in place by mid-2016, ensuring more transparency and communication from the IAAF Ethics Board and overseeing “forensic reviews” of operations and finance.
The IAAF’s constitution is set for a refresh to be “modern, fit for purpose and capable of deliver the guidance and protection that is required”. The proposal will be put forward for approval during the next IAAF Congress in August 2017 in London.
“My vision is to have a sport that attracts more young people,” said Coe. “The average age of those watching track and field is 55-years-old. This is not sustainable.”
He added: “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.”
Separately, the IAAF Ethics Commission has appointed two new members: Justice Catherine O’Regan, a former judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, and Annabel Pennefather, a Singaporean lawyer with a sports governance background.
