Every day, millions of people around the world wear sneakers and go out and run. Rainy or sunny, there they practice athletics as a physical activity, far from one day contemplating one of the more than 150 medals sport has at the Olympics. To organize this huge ecosystem – from asphalt to track, through parks and lawns – World Athletics, the highest entity in international athletics, recently launched the Global Coversation Program, a global survey that will outline sporting strategies for the next decade, through 2030.
In an exclusive interview with Olympic appearanceThe organization’s president, Britain’s Sebastian Coe, said the idea was to discuss the future of athletics on the basis of global demands. “Global Conversation effectively creates a roadmap for the growth and development of sport in the next ten years. Our sport is a complex ecosystem, everyone has different goals. We want to talk to athletes, but not just the elite. We want to talk to the recreational activities of athletes, with partners, with media companies. , And the federations, “he explains.
According to Kuo, who was Olympic champion in the 1980 and 1984 1500 meters, the responses indicated that athletics should play a more important role in the next decade. “This role can go beyond simple competition, and I think this feeling is expressed mainly because of the past year and a half, when the epidemic hit our societies hard. It showed the importance of societies that enjoy physical activity and athletics. Running is the sport that most practitioners in the world practice. “.
“More than a billion people consider themselves recreational runners. We have a tremendous opportunity to sit down with governments at all levels to help with their own agendas and encourage sport,” continues the British leader.
One of the challenges is to bring the ecosystem of street racing, which is referred to in English as “running”, from the official system of athletics. “When there are companies interested in investing in our sport, we should always encourage them. But we have to make sure that these events are safe and healthy. I think our unions can help the organizers. I want cooperation,” Non-compete. I will always encourage federations and organizers to speak up. It is estimated that it is a solvable problem if everyone works together to improve sport. “
Kuo says the sporting legacy wasn’t strong in Rio
The chairperson of the London Olympic Organizing Committee, Sebastian Coe, is a specialist in the Olympic legacy. The London Olympics were considered successful in this regard. Whether it is because the UK has been able to continue to improve in sporting results – it won more medals in 2016 compared to 2012 – or because the structures constructed for the Olympic Games in London have become part of the daily life of the city. The Olympic Stadium, for example, hosts a stage of the Diamond League every year, which celebrates exactly the history of London 2012. In 2017, it hosted the IAAF World Cup.
Meanwhile, in Rio, the Nilton Santos Stadium, which was the home of the Athletics of the 2016 Olympics, did not receive any competition in this sport. And there is no plan to receive it. When asked about the matter, Kuo said he believed Ryo hadn’t even thought about it before the Olympics.
“I think it should be clear what legacy any city is looking for. The games have made Athens a more modern city. A new airport, a new metro system, but the sporting legacy wasn’t very strong. In London, we struck the right balance I think cities need to be.” Think clearly, define what the legacy is. There have been changes in the city of Rio, in transportation and infrastructure, which is a strong legacy, but sport was not really what the city gave priority. It is up to the IFRC to tell the city what the legacy is. Only the city can do that. So. She asked me if I wanted a sports legacy, of course I do, but a sports legacy just doesn’t happen. This legacy needs to be included in the business plan from the start, it has to be very clear, ”he argues.
In the case of Rio, this action plan was drawn up more than a decade ago, and as we saw today, it fails to consider more effective use of structures constructed or refurbished for the Olympic Games. But wouldn’t it be up to the current leaders to pick up and make the lemons?
“There has to be an ambition in the city to build the legacy of the Games, and to encourage more events. Holding the Athletics competitions would be great, having a World Cup in South America at some point … Defining these facilities is a role for local governments and federations. We have an approach.” More interactive. We sit with the federations to discuss possibilities for creating events within the city. This is what we are doing, ”Coo said, without answering if he has concrete plans to use Rio’s Olympic heritage.
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