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IAAF-trail running partnership: athletics chief Sebastian Coe on a new era for the sport
British peer says the partnership will not resemble a normal governing body role, but it could lead to the Olympics
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The new partnership between the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), and two trail running governing bodies is not a takeover, insisted Sebastian Coe in an interview with the South China Morning Post.
“We need to be respectful,” Coe said. “I need to be cautious as international bodies have a way of presenting themselves as all knowing.
“We also want to recognise that our presence won’t strangle the existing culture that is clear is in trail and mountain running.”
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At the end of August the IAAF announced it would create a formal partnership with the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) and World Mountain Running Association (WMRA). The partnership will officially begin in 2021 with a world championship.
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Coe, who was given a life peerage in 2000 and became Lord Coe of Ranmore, said the main aim of the link is to increase access to trail running, but it will not see the IAAF become the driving force behind the sport.
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