Three minutes with Iaaf President Lord Seb Coe

Question: Thank you Mr President for granting me this interview. What is your take on the countries that will not send teams to the World Under-18 Championships to be held in Nairobi in July, including Great Britain and USA, some of them citing insecurity?

Answer: A lot of talent is coming and filling our stadiums in Africa is one thing we must do. We give a chance and respect for those who want to stage championships.

It’s good to give federations hosting championships support so that we can spread the sport globally.

We must give Africa a chance, and we have to see many federations sending teams to compete for the betterment of the sport.

Q: You took power with a lot of energy promising to bring changes. How far are you with your plans?

A: What we have done so far is creating dividends and funding clear development programmes of many African Federations.

We have done something, but there is a lot yet to be done. We have delivered the sport to the grounds in Africa which has 54 countries and it is challenging.

We are in the process of appointing a new director for development in Africa and this is the approach we want.

We want more upcoming athletes to stay, develop and inspire another generation of athletics in the continent.

Q: We have many athletes in Kenya who have been competing in different events but a large percentage have not had a chance to compete globally. Are there any plans to support such athletes by organizing more events?

A: It’s for the federations to have plans and organize more events and give athletes a chance to showcase their talents by having development programmes.

I want to see more athletes competing in many and major events and it will take our will to deliver for the benefit of sport which brings people together.

Q: Do you have plans to organize more events in the Diamond League series?

A: I want to see more events of Diamond League in Africa to showcase sports talent and that is my dream.

I want to see athletes competing in India in the Diamond League which will make the sport truly a global event.