This article will talk about the IAAF International Athletics Association. What it is? How is this abbreviation deciphered? Under what circumstances was the organization created? All this will be presented below.
IAAF regulated athletics disciplines
“Show and circuses!”, The audience of the Coliseum shouted in the Roman Empire. If the “king of sports” is football, then the “queen” is certainly athletics. This spectacular type of competition, which gathers full stadiums of spectators and millions of television fans, currently consists of 47 types (disciplines). The most popular are:
- 60 meters run indoors and 100 meters in stadiums;
- marathon run (42 km 195 meters);
- various long jumps, triple and high;
- discus throwing, spears, hammers, shot put;
- Barrier run (60, 100, 110 meters);
- steepl-chaz - 3000 meters obstacle course, overcoming water pits and barrier bars;
- Walking
- Heptathlon in women and decathlon in men.
In terms of entertainment, athletics can only be compared with the Olympic Games, in the main program of which it is included. The main types of sports queen are held at the main stadiums of the Olympiads from the very moment of their holding.
IAAF - what is it?
In order to regulate coaches and athletes, hold championships, establish common standards for all, rules, record achievements, keep records and propaganda, you need a central governing body for all this. In each country where there are athletics sections, national federations are formed, which are members of a single federation called the International Athletics Association (IAAF).
After the end of the competition at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm (Sweden), they decided to hold a meeting to approve the universal universal rules for competitions in this sport. As a result, an amateur international athletics federation was formed. IAAF - what is it?
The development of communications, an increase in the infusion of money into sports, and a race for records forced me to change one of the words without changing the IAAF abbreviations. So, in 2001, we got the name that remains until today - the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). What it is? How did the organization evolve and who stands at its helm?
Organization Development History
The first congress of amateur athletics was attended by only 17 countries, today there are more than two hundred of them. In Berlin in 1913, Congress approved the organization’s constitution, which already featured 34 national federations. Siegfried Edstrom from Sweden was elected the first president. The headquarters of the federation was located in the same country for the next 30 years. In 1914 in Lyon (France), where the third congress was held, the first international competition rules were announced, which all national organizations had to adopt to train their athletes in the international arena of world championships and Olympics.
In 1946, the headquarters moved to England for 40 years. At the next congress in Stuttgart (1993), it was decided to transfer the central office of the federation from cold and rainy regions to warmer and more fashionable places in Southern Europe (to attract sponsors). In the same year, the headquarters moved to the Principality of Monaco, where the UN, Interpol, OSCE, UNESCO, WHO and other international organizations are located. At the moment, the head of the IAAF is the outstanding runner of the century Sebastian Coe (UK). By a slight margin of votes, Sergey Bubka twice did not fall into the presidency. Lord Coe gained an advantage due to his greater experience in political affairs.
IAAF Composition
The IAAF Council consists of 21 members, a treasurer (whose position was Russian Valentin Balakhnichev), vice-presidents, first or honorary vice-president and the president of the federation itself.
The charter of the organization approved 14 noble goals. Patrons are involved, official partnership agreements are signed with Adidas, Toyota, Seiko, Kenon, TDK, Sinopek oil company and VTB Bank (the latter terminated the contract due to a scandal with the Russian team).
In honor of the centenary of the association, on March 8, 2012, the IAAF Hall of Fame was opened at the congress in Istanbul by President Lamin Diak (athlete, politician, father of 15 children). Athletics received a new round of development.
How to become a member of the IAAF?
The criterion for entering the list of the best athletes of all time is the presence of 2 gold medals (Olympic or won at world championships). At least 10 years from the date of completion of a career must also pass. Prominent athletes from the times of the USSR, world sports stars are: Valery Brumel, Sergey Bubka, Vladimir Golubnichy, Natalya Lisovskaya, Yanis Lusis, Victor Saneev, Yuri Sedykh, Tatyana Kazankina, Vladimir Kuts, Sergey Litvinov, Irina Press.
The organization is developing and promoting athletics, fair sports, the availability of sports for all categories, regardless of age, race, nationality, religious belief. Of course, this is very difficult at this time.
Athletics development today
Sports today are not harmless physical exercises to maintain human health and activity. This is a thirst for fame, fees, dirty intrigues of large corporations, bookmakers and media tycoons. In support of this, there was a disqualification due to the alleged doping scandal of the entire Russian athletics team.
The team was not allowed to the 2016 Olympics and was suspended from international starts for two years. Now pharmacology has reached such a level that it is possible to disqualify every teenager who drinks energy drinks and slightly fermented yoghurts, plus all the grandmothers and colds who bought drugs containing drugs prohibited by the anti-doping agency. It is sad that politics has risen above fair sports.
Any decision by the IAAF today is not made without the approval of organizations that are far from sports. Many famous athletes have therefore completed their careers.