World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has declared that athletics must hold its place as the premier Olympic sport, expressing his strongest-ever optimism about the discipline's future ahead of the Diamond League meeting in Zurich on 28 August. Speaking in Switzerland, Coe said the sport's global reach puts it in rare company — alongside football — as one of only two truly universal competitions.

Coe's Vision for Athletics

'There are only two truly global sports: one is football, and one is athletics. We must maintain our position as the number one Olympic sport,' Coe said. The 69-year-old Briton, who turns 70 next month, added that he has never felt more confident about the sport's trajectory. 'Whoever my successor is, they are inheriting a very much stronger sport than I inherited. I'm absolutely sure that the sport will continue to grow,' he said.

Coe is set to step down as president in 2027, having first been elected to lead the organisation — then known as the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) — in Beijing on 19 August 2015. The body was renamed World Athletics in 2019. His successor will be chosen at the 2027 World Athletics Elective Congress in Beijing, held immediately before the World Athletics Championships.

Final Year Priorities

For his last year in office, Coe outlined a broad agenda rather than a single signature project. 'My objective in the next year is to continue to make the changes that I think will help build and create a stronger sport in the years to come,' he said, adding that he intends to ensure 'strong leadership' is in place before he exits. Key items on the agenda include adjustments to competition regulations, calendar changes, and a drive to grow revenues — with several major sponsorship and broadcast contracts due to expire in 2029.

The Inaugural Ultimate Championship

Much of the immediate focus is on the Ultimate Championship, a new biennial season-ending competition set to debut in Budapest from 11 to 13 September. The event will gather world champions, Olympic champions, Diamond League winners, and the year's top-ranked athletes across 16 disciplines and 26 individual events — comprising 16 track and 10 field events, plus two relays including a new mixed 4x100m — at the Budapest National Athletics Centre.

The total prize purse stands at $10 million (US dollars), with each event winner taking home $150,000. Coe described the format as 'athletics with an innovative spin,' emphasising its compressed three-day structure, smaller athlete field, and gender-balanced programme. 'We didn't just want to create another World Championships,' he said. 'We want the best of the best, and we were absolutely ambitious about that.'

World Championships in China: Coe's Confidence

Looking ahead to the 2027 World Athletics Championships in China, Coe expressed full confidence in the host nation's organisational capacity. 'We can rely upon the Chinese federation and the organising committee, and you have total political leadership and support behind it,' he said. He called the Chinese federation and organising committees 'world-class,' citing the combination of administrative strength, coaching quality, funding, and political backing as critical ingredients for a successful championship. Notably, this will be the second time Beijing hosts the Elective Congress, mirroring the city's role in Coe's own election a decade earlier.