The Nation Newspaper

Tag: International Association of Athletics Federations

  • Sebastian Coe re-elected for second term as IAAF president

     

    Sebastian Coe will remain President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) for another four years after being re-elected unanimously with 203 votes on Wednesday.

    Coe stood unoppossed for a second term having replaced Lamine Diack in 2015. The 62-year-old’s re-election has come two days before the start of this year’s IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

    Before the election, the Congress had voted 164 to 30 in favour of the decision to extend Russia’s suspension from the IAAF. The sanction, which hit the country as a consequence for a widespread state-supported doping scandal, means Russia cannot compete under its own flag.

    Hence, Doha 2019 will be the second straight world championship, where the Russians competing will do so without their country’s flag or uniform. Russia were originally banned in November 2015, shortly after Coe’s election in Beijing. The ban has since been extended 11 times.

    IAAF Sebastian Coe acknowledging cheers

    “This was not an easy journey,” Coe told delegates following his re-election.^nbsp;

    “The first four years have been the time of change, the next will be a time of building.”

    The election for the IAAF vice-presidents began with controversy as the Athletics Integrity Unit suspended one of the candidates — Ahmed Al Kamali of the United Arab Emirates — for a “potential Violation of the IAAF Candidacy Rules and Integrity Code of Conduct”.

    But in the end, one of the main highlights was the election of the first female vice-president in the IAAF’s 117-year history. A position that went to Ximena Restrepo, the first Colombian to win an Olympic medal in athletics when she claimed a bronze in the 400 metres at Barcelona 1992.

    She was elected ahead of Canada’s Abby Hoffman, the 1963 and 1971 Pan American Games 800m gold medallist and 1966 Commonwealth Games 880 yards champion, and The Netherlands’ Sylvia Barlag, who finished 10th in the pentathlon at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.

  • Semenya unleashes team of professors to battle IAAF, CAS

     

    Caster Semenya has released a list of experts she will call in her appeal hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) this week in her fight against regulations aimed at lowering the testosterone levels of hyperandrogenic athletes like her.

    The South African 800-metres double Olympic champion on Monday expressed her disappointment after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) revealed the names of their five witnesses for the proceedings in Lausserne.

    She called it a breach of confidentiality rules ahead of a five-day appeal that could have far reaching consequences for sport. The IAAF denies any wrong-doing. She will call on a range of experts from various fields, and used the announcement of their names, through her lawyers, to reiterate her stance on the IAAF’s proposed regulations.

    “The IAAF regulations do not empower anyone,” the statement said. “Rather, they represent yet another flawed and hurtful attempt to police the sex of female athletes.

    “Ms Semenya’s courage and perseverance in her fight to run free is an inspiration to young athletes in her home country of South Africa and around the globe.”

    The IAAF regulations stipulate that women with elevated testosterone take medication to reduce their level before being allowed to compete, but only in the middle-distance events of between 400- and 1500-metres where it is claimed the advantage is most felt

    The experts who will testify in support of Semenya are listed as:

    – Prof Veronica Gomez-Lobo, Obstetrics and Gynecology at Georgetown University and the Director of the DSD (Differences of Sexual Development) Clinic at the Children’s National Health System in Washington‚ DC.

    – Dr Alun Williams, Director of the Sports Genomics Laboratory at Manchester Metropolitan University.

    – Professor Eric Vilain, specialist in gender-based and endocrine genetics‚ including DSD, who has consulted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

    – Professor Roger Pielke Jr, director of the Sports Governance Center at the University of Colorado.

    – Professor Dankmar Böhning, Chair in Medical Statistics at the University of Southampton.

    – Professor Richard Holt, expert in Diabetes and Endocrinology at the University of Southampton.

    – Professor Anthony C Hackney, University of North Carolina‚ with joint appointments in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science and the Department of Nutrition School of Public Health.

    – Dr Lih-Mei Liao, clinical and health psychologist in the United Kingdom who has worked extensively with women diagnosed with a range of DSD conditions.

    – Dr Payoshni Mitra, teaches Sport Sociology at Birkbeck College‚ University of London and works closely with athletes with hyperandrogenism and DSD from the Southern Hemisphere.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Asaba 2018: Semenya wins 400m, Nigeria’s Ajayi places third

    South Africa’s Caster Semenya on Friday in Asaba reasserted her dominance of the women’s 400m event at the ongoing CAA African Senior Athletics Championships.

    Semenya won the race with a time of 49.96 seconds, while Christine Botlogetwe of Botswana came second with 51.19 secs.

    Nigeria’s Yinka Ajayi who featured at the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in Australia placed third with 51.34 secs.

    Read Also: Semenya takes London gold as Savinova is stripped

    Sierra Leone’s Margaret Barriere finished fourth with a time of 52.06 secs, while Patience Okon-George came fifth with a time of 52.34 secs.

    Semenya who emerged on the world track scene in 2009 has won two Olympic titles — in 2012 and 2016.

    She has also won gold medals in three International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships — 2009, 2011 and 2017.

    Semenya won both the 800m and 1500m titles at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

    The 21st CAA championships which began on Wednesday will end on Sunday.

    NAN

  • Uncomfortable Gers dumps IAAF top post

    Uncomfortable Gers dumps IAAF top post

     

    International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) chief executive Olivier Gers has dumped the job following what he dubbed uncomfortable “pre-existing commercial framework” which has made it difficult for him to operate.

    Gers joined the IAAF in October 2016, following a six month search by the governing body for a chief executive.

    It was claimed the Frenchman, who had 20 years of commercial, marketing and media experience, was selected from more than 200 applicants.

    The official has now opted to leave the IAAF after 18 months, stating their “pre-existing commercial framework” had not allowed him to “apply his talents”.

    “Whilst I am sorry to be leaving, the pre-existing commercial framework makes it difficult for me to apply my talents and fully leverage the assets of the IAAF in the way I would like,” Gers stated.

    “Given my stance, I have resigned so the IAAF can pursue a different commercial strategy for the sport.

    “We have accomplished a lot in the last 18 months: outlining a new strategic plan for growth, bringing a new leadership team in place to achieve this plan, securing broadcast and digital rights to expand audiences for the sport, innovating audiovisual coverage of the sport with the creation of IAAF Productions as evidenced by the recent World Indoor Tour, changing processes at the Monaco Headquarters to better serve the sport.

    “With the team now in place I am confident the organisation is in the best possible hands to drive growth.”

    The IAAF said that Gers will continue in the role for the next three months, with a replacement set to be announced in due course.

    IAAF President Sebastian Coe thanked Gers for his contribution, including efforts in governance reform and work on the organisation’s strategic plan.

    “I would like to thank Olivier for the work he has done particularly around putting a strong team in place at the IAAF, developing a strategic plan and securing broadcast and digital rights to expand audiences for athletics globally,” said Coe.

    Gers previously spent 15 years in the United States in leadership roles with Fremantle Media Licensing Worldwide and as global head of IMG Digital Media in New York.He headed to the UK in 2010 as chief executive of Endemol Worldwide Brands.

    He was also the Global President of LiquidThread, a division of Publicis Media Group in the UK, prior to joining the IAAF.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • 2017 Okpekpe Race: Olamide hopes for better outing

    Oluwaseun Olamide, who came second in the Nigerian category at the 4th Okpekpe International 10km Road Race, says she will better her performance to win the female category prize in the competition.

    Olamide told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos that her target was to be among the first eight athletes in the international category.

    “My coming to Okpekpe this year is to be among the first eight in the international category. I also have the objective of upping my performance in other events I will attend this year.

    “I was among the first 10 in the international category last year and second Nigerian; so, I intend to improve on that record this time,’’ she said.

    Olamide is a gold medalist at the 2016 Ibadan/Splash FM Integrity marathon, and also, a gold medalist in the Nigerian category, 2016 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon.

    The only International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) approved Road Race in Africa is scheduled for May 13 in Edo.

    Athletes for the event are being expected from Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Uganda, Eritrea, Bahrain, Germany, Turkey, Morocco, Burundi and host, Nigeria.

    NAN reports that technological innovations such as mobile application, line-tracking and transponders have been introduced into this year’s competition.