World Athletics is a big group.
They help people run and jump. They make the rules for sports. This helps everyone play fair. It is fun to watch!
Do you like to run fast?
World Athletics is a big group.
They help people run and jump. They also watch for fast runners on roads.
This group makes the rules for sports. These rules help everyone play fair. They even keep track of world records.
A leader named Sebastian Coe runs the group. He was elected to lead them.
They have many members from all over. They help people in many lands.
People love to watch these sports. It is fun to see how fast people go!
World Athletics is the main group for track and field sports.
This group covers many ways to move. They watch over running on tracks and roads. They also manage cross country and mountain running. They even look after race walking.
This group makes the rules for all these sports. They make sure the rules are the same for everyone. They check that sports fields are safe to use. They also keep track of all the world records.
Sebastian Coe is the president. He is from the United Kingdom. He was first elected in 2015. He was elected again in 2019 and 2023.
The group started a long time ago. It began in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1912. A group of people met there after the Olympics. They wanted to start a group for sports. They met again in Berlin in 1913. This helped finish the start of the group. The group used to have a different name. It was called the IAAF for many years. Now, it is called World Athletics. The group is now based in Monaco.
World Athletics is the main group that looks after many sports.
It covers track and field and many types of running. This includes road running, cross country, and mountain running. They also manage race walking and ultra running. The group makes sure the rules are the same for everyone. They check that sports fields are safe to use. They also keep track of all the world records.
This group has many ways of working to keep sports fair. A president leads the whole organization. Currently, Sebastian Coe from the United Kingdom is the president.
He was elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2023. A group called the World Athletics Council helps him lead. There are 26 members on this Council. They are elected for four-year terms. The Council also picks a chief executive officer to help with business.
The group has a very long history. It began in Stockholm, Sweden, on 18 July 1912. This happened right after the 1912 Summer Olympics. Representatives from 17 different countries met there. They agreed to meet again in Berlin, Germany, in 1913. This meeting helped start the group officially. At first, it was called the International Amateur Athletic Federation. It used to be based in Stockholm and then London. Now, the headquarters are in Monaco.
There are many special teams within the group. These are called committees. Some committees look after race walking or cross country. There is also a committee for women. In 2019, they added committees for development and governance. They even have an Athletes' Commission. This gives active athletes a voice in how the sport is run. Athletes elect the members of this commission.
World Athletics helps keep the history of the sport alive. They have a Heritage department. This department keeps old items from sports history. They have a gallery in Monaco and an online gallery too. They even give out plaques to mark special places. The group also works with a charity called the International Athletics Foundation. This charity helps grow the sport in many places. They use money and programs to help more people join in.
World Athletics is the global governing body for the sport of athletics.
This organization manages many different disciplines. These include track and field, cross country running, and road running. It also oversees race walking, mountain running, and ultra running. The organization is responsible for standardizing rules and regulations. It also certifies athletic facilities to ensure they are safe. Furthermore, World Athletics manages the recognition of world records. It organizes and sanctions major competitions, such as the World Athletics Championships.
The governance of the sport follows a specific structure. A president leads the entire organization. Sebastian Coe from the United Kingdom is the current president. He was elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2023.
The World Athletics Council assists in leadership. This Council consists of 26 elected members. These members include the president and four vice-presidents. It also includes presidents from six area associations. Two members of the Athletes' Commission and 13 other Council members also serve. Each member is elected for a four-year term by the World Athletics Congress. The Congress is a biennial gathering of many athletics officials.
Specialized committees manage specific parts of the sport. There are four original committees: Cross Country, Race Walking, Technical, and Women's. In 2019, three new committees were added. These are the Development, Governance, and Competitions committees. To ensure athletes have a voice, the organization created the Athletes' Commission.
Active athletes elect these members. The chairperson and one other athlete of the opposite sex gain voting rights on the Council. Additionally, an Ethics Commission was appointed in 2014. This followed the creation of a Code of Ethics in 2013. An independent Athletics Integrity Unit now oversees ethical issues and complaints.
The history of the organization began in Stockholm, Sweden. This occurred on 18 July 1912, after the 1912 Summer Olympics. At that meeting, 27 representatives from 17 national federations met. They agreed to hold a congress in Berlin, Germany, the following year. Sigfrid Edström oversaw this meeting and became the first president. The 1913 congress officially founded the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF).
The organization moved its headquarters several times. It was in Stockholm from 1912 to 1946. It moved to London from 1946 to 1993. It is now located in Monaco.
World Athletics manages a large financial operation. In 2020, the organization released its financial reports. It showed a revenue of approximately US$200 million over a four-year Olympic cycle. About one-fifth of this revenue came from Olympic broadcasting rights. The reports also showed a heavy dependence on a partnership with Dentsu. This Japanese marketing agency provided half of the 2018 revenue. In 2018, the organization held reserves of US$45 million. These reserves helped the organization remain solvent during the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic caused delays to the 2020 Summer Olympics.
The organization works globally through 214 member federations.
These federations are divided into six area associations. These include the Asian Athletics Association and the Confederation of African Athletics. Other associations cover South America, Europe, North America, and North Central America. World Athletics also maintains a Heritage department. This department manages historic artifacts through a physical gallery in Monaco. It also maintains a virtual online gallery. The department issues Heritage Plaques to mark locations of historic interest.
World Athletics also supports the growth of the sport through charity. The International Athletics Foundation is closely associated with the organization. It runs projects and programs to develop athletics. Albert II, the Prince of Monaco, serves as the Honorary President. The World Athletics President also holds the role of IAF President. This structure helps connect the professional management of the sport with grassroots development. By managing rules, history, and growth, World Athletics maintains the global standards of athletics.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (7)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.