IAAF to rebrand as World Athletics

World athletics’ governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will re-brand itself as World Athletics. The rebranding would be operational from October 2019.

Key Highlights

• IAAF’s new brand identity as World Athletics will begin its rollout in October 2019 following the completion of world championships in Doha, Qatar and after congress grants approval of change to federation’s legal name.
• IAAF Council: The decision for rebranding of name was taken at IAAF Council, meeting in Monaco (IAAF’s Headquarter). The participants agreed that ‘World Athletics’ made sport more accessible to a wider audience at same time while giving global governing body an opportunity to more clearly communicate its mission as leader of world’s most participatory sport.
• The council hopes that new brand will help towards attracting and engaging a new generation of young people to athletics.
• World Athletics: The term World Athletics is built upon IAAF’s restructuring and governance reform agenda it has undertaken in past four years. It represent a modern, more creative and positive face for the sport.

About International Association of Athletics Federations

• The IAAF was initially founded on 17 July 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden, as International Amateur Athletic Federation, following the closing ceremony of Olympic Games in the Swedish capital. It was founded as world governing body for sport of track and field athletics.
• It took its present name of International Association of Athletics Federations in 2001.
• It is currently presided over by Sebastian Coe, two-time Olympic 1500m gold medallist of Britain, UK.
• With 215 member federations, IAAF is an international governing body for sport of athletics.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2019