President of World Athletics Sebastian Coe (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

FLORENCE, June 5, 2023 - Cheering crowds, emotional athletes and a new World Record holder in tears! What happened in Florence last Friday was not only a commercial for athletics – it was much more like a night in the movies. Full of joy, tension and entertainment – exactly what World Athletics president Sebastian Coe wishes for all Track and Field events.

On Friday, the Asics Firenze Marathon Stadium “Luigi Ridolfi” in Florence was sold out. The best athletes in the world came to compete at the Pietro Mennea Golden Gala. One of the spectators was Sebastian Coe - former World Record holder over 800 and 1500 metres. To bring together a huge crowd like this is a good sign for the sport. Coe says the biggest challenge for athletics is to fit in with livestyles: “Our viewing numbers are rising. But we need to do everything we possibly can to encourage new, fresh and young audiences and spectators into our sports.”

Sebastian Coe: “Athletics is for entertainment”

One innovation is the World Ranking lists. They were introduced before the Olympic Games in Tokyo. “I think it is an important marketing tool. Until we had the rankings, we really weren‘t able to say at any point in the season who is number 1, who is number 2, who is number 3.” In Tennis, everybody knows who the number one in the world is. Coe wants to achieve that for Athletics too. For him, the World Ranking Lists are one of the tools for the new spectators to be able to understand who the athletes are. From Coe’s point of view, athletics is more entertaining when people know that the world Nos. 1, 2 and 3 are competing against each other.

Athletics has to fit into lifestyles

The World Ranking is just the beginning. The World Athletics President wants to innovate athletics. That’s why the programmes for competitions are speeding up right now, as you can see in Florence. The main programme was only two hours. Prime Time from 8pm to 10pm. Like a movie. “We’ve got to understand we are fitting in with lifestyles. We are fitting in the time you have available to watch sports.” Coe has pointed out that athletics not only competes with other sports like football, swimming or gymnastics who might be currently more famous. It competes with entertainment, time commitment and careers. “So we have to make sure that sports fit into the lifestyle of young people as well,” Coe said.

The newest innovation are the lights

The newest innovation are the lights that are running in front of the athletes during a race. While the race is going, you can see if the runners are on their way to set a new record. Everything that makes athletics easier to understand is good for the sport, might be the attitude of World Athletics and its president Sebastian Coe.

It seems like there is more to come.

Katrin Schmidt - AIPS Young Reporter – Germany