IAAF Begins Preparations for 2021 Worlds -- Federation Focus

(ATR) An International Association of Athletics Federations delegation is in Oregon this week on its first site visit for the 2021 IAAF World Championships.

The two-day trip included stops in Portland and Eugene as preparations begin for the first IAAF Worlds to be hosted in the United States and the biggest athletics event in the country since the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

"This is going to be the largest sporting event of 2021," IAAF CEO Olivier Gers told Around the Rings in an exclusive phone interview from Oregon. "It’s great for us to be coming to a market that has had so much success on the track and in the field and be able to present our sports in the best possible way to fans in the U.S. and also fans around the world."

Gers says the first visit was about learning to work with the local organizing committee and the other local partners and authorities. The IAAF plans to make at least two visits a year to Oregon over the next two years though Gers says "We've told the team on the ground that we can come as often as they need us to come".

Heyward Field in Eugene is the venue for the event which organizers are calling "Oregon 21," as they want to ensure that the entire state is included.

"Folks around here, the organizers, all the governments at the local, regional and state level are passionate about athletics, or track and field as they call it here," Gers says. "And that’s exciting because we know we’ll have a great time in 1,295 days."

ITU President Running for IOC Board

Marisol Casado, President of the International Triathlon Union, is running for a spot on the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations representative on the IOC Executive Board.

Casado announced her candidacy this week joining Nenad Lalovic, President of United World Wrestling, and Jean-Christophe Rolland, President of the World Rowing Federation. Votes for the position must be cast by Jan. 19 by ASOIF members.

"I firmly believe that with the experience gained throughout my years in ASOIF, GAISF and the IOC, always serving as a President of an IF and considering the good relations that I’ve built during so many years of dedication to the sport, the IFs and the IOC, I can serve as a valuable and committed candidate to represent all the International Federations," Casado said in a statement.

Casado was elected to the IOC in 2010. Lalovic was elected in 2015, and Rolland was elected at the last session in 2017.

If any candidate receives a majority from ASOIF members, the candidacy for the Executive Board will be put to the IOC Membership at the 2018 session in PyeongChang.

UIPM Unveils New Logos

The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) is entering 2018 with two new logos to visually represent the sporting federation.

Following a branding review late last year, two new emblems were created "representing the growth of UIPM Sports with Modern Pentathlon at the pinnacle." The UIPM Executive Board approved them at its meeting prior to the 2017 UIPM Congress in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The UIPM marketing logo will be used for all external publication and promotion.

According to a federation statement, the marketing logo contains the tagline "World Pentathlon" which is introduced to the UIPM branding portfolio as a means of emphasizing the global reach of UIPM, which governs the core Olympic sport of Modern Pentathlon as well as Laser-Run, World Schools Biathlon, Biathle/Triathle and Tetrathlon.

The new institutional logo, which is primarily for internal use, aims to communicate the historic pentathlon family values aligned to the dynamic future of UIPM Sports.

The logo features two original colors that represent the pentathlon environment: yellow (symbolizing dynamic development) and blue (standing for longevity and power). Gender equality is also reflected with the addition of two female pictograms.

"I am very happy that these UIPM new logos respect the history of Modern Pentathlon, our flagship sport which was founded by Pierre de Coubertin for the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games, and also reflect the dynamic present and future of our sporting movement," UIPM President Klaus Schormann said in a statement.

Written by Gerard Farekand Aaron Bauer

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