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International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Sebastian Coe has backed Kenya to stage a successful competition when the country hosts World Under-20 Athletics Championships in Nairobi next year.
Speaking on Thursday on the sidelines of 2019 World Athletics Championships, Coe said he had no doubt the country would stage a great event going by its past records.
“The 2017 Under-18 Athletics Championship was a good competition. On the last day, I think we had 60,000 people in the stadium. We know it is a national obsession. Kenya has produced some of the greatest athletes, and I have been very privileged to have run against some of them like Mike Boit, Henry Rono, Nickson Kiprotich,” Coe said, adding that it was important that IAAF gave Africa a chance to host bigger events.
Coe observed that under his tenure, Africa had hosted many global athletics competition, among them the 2017 Under-18 Championships in Nairobi, the 2017 World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, and 2020 Under-20 World Athletics Championships due to be held in Nairobi.
“Hosting championships in Africa is not a risk when it comes to crowds and passion because you get what is promised,” Coe said.
Coe said it would be prudent for organisers of major championships to ensure they did so with honesty and integrity. He also confirmed that Kenya had declared interest in hosting the 2025 World Championships in Athletics.
He also confirmed that IAAF Congress that took place last week resolved that Russian athletes remain banned due to state-sponsored doping.
“The Russia situation is a difficult one. During IAAF Congress that we had days ago unanimously agreed that Russian athletes remain banned from international competitions,” he pointed out.
Coe acknowledged that Kenya had made strides in the fight against doping.
“In the last year or so, a lot has been done," said Coe.
Coe also asked media outlets with information related to doping to share it with the world athletics body. He said that by so doing, IAAF would take up the cases for investigation.
“If you identify a problem, your responsibility does not end when you air your programme. Come and share the information with Athletics Intelligence Unit or the Athletics Integrity Unit. There are things that may give us the ability to go and get some of the people being talked about. I ask all media outlets to share with us what they have. That sort of evidence is useful when you hand it over,” he said.
