European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen outlined three priorities for the new leadership of the IAAF in his Area Association report to the IAAF Congress in Beijing on Wednesday.
'I am proud to be standing here as the newest Area association president representing European Athletics. In the next few minutes I want to share some brief thoughts from a European perspective.
'Our vision revolves around the word relevance. As a sport, athletics needs to mean something, to be a real part in the lives of as many people as possible. All serious measures of our success have to be based on achieving this aim.
'I don’t really have to tell you about the great tools we have to reach out to people of all ages - the performances and personalities of the athletes - the competitions we organise at local, national and international levels - the role athletics plays in schools and physical education - the possibilities our sport offers everyone in the areas of health, fitness and social interactions - The list could go on.
'What is important is that we in Europe see a future in which our sport uses all its tools and builds on all its values to become increasingly relevant to individuals and societies around the world. When we talk about “Your Sport for Life” we are talking about athletics adding to the quality of life.
'To be successful athletics needs to work hard and do certain things well - guard our integrity - be well-governed – and be commercially dynamic in our activities, programmes and interactions.
'In Europe we are lucky that athletics can and does attract strong support from governments, the media and the commercial sector - we have good local structures such as clubs and sport schools - we have history and tradition - we have mass participation in road running and mountain running - and we have great people leading and working in our federations and in European Athletics.
'On top of these advantages, I can say that we have always worked hard to promote and develop the sport and, as in the past, we are always ready to share our ideas and experiences with others. I ask all areas to send people to our conferences and seminars in Europe.
'You can read about European Athletics’ activities since the Congress in Moscow in the written report you have received with the Congress papers. And I invite you to visit our website where you can see my agenda for the coming years in my election manifesto called Leading Change.
'Now, I would like to outline three points that I think need to be priorities for the sport starting right now.
'First, and foremost is integrity. Without it, any sport risks becoming a joke - losing support from national and local governments - losing the interest of commercial partners - losing the willingness of parents to allow their children to participate.
'Perhaps our biggest challenge in this area is the issue of doping. While I sincerely believe that our sport and the IAAF have been leaders here, it is clear simply because it keeps coming up that we are still not doing enough and or communicating about it as well as we could.
'We in Europe are open to any new ideas and will be supportive of all serious efforts by the IAAF. We have to keep pushing - we can never let up - we can never stop.
'We are currently working on a number of proposals ourselves, including an education-eligibility licence system for all young athletes and an index of national anti-doping programme effectiveness, which if successful could be models for the other Areas. I will raise these and other ideas in the IAAF Council in the coming period.
'The second priority is our sport’s competition system - this includes all levels, all age groups, the one-day invitational meetings, the championships, and events like the Olympic Games that our sport does not control.
'Many have said that if you were starting from scratch you would be crazy to create the current system. We in Europe believe the system we have is an anchor dragging against the popularity of athletics and hurting everyone - the athletes, the federations around the world, our partners.
'Of course, significant change will mean struggle and hard choices - some stakeholders may be disappointed - but if we don’t do it, change will come anyway but not on our terms.
'Now is the time to act. I call on the IAAF to review the worldwide competition system without delay and then lead a change process through to its fulfillment. European Athletics will play its part with the overriding aim of doing what is best for the sport as a whole.
'The third priority is development. In Europe, our strategy is based on the belief that all federations are unique and that there is no one-size-fits-all programme. This is consistent with what President-elect Coe said in his campaign and on the stage today.
'Now is also the time for changes in the way we work to increase the capacity and expertise of our federations, and ultimately increase their success. This will include new tools, new forms of cooperation and new means of support.
'Again, European Athletics is ready and willing to contribute to a review of the IAAF Development Programme and to share our experience and expertise with the rest of the world.
'Integrity, competition system and development. These are the three priorities for the new leadership of the IAAF.
'With that, I want to say that I appreciate your kind attention. If you have any questions or would like further information, I invite you to contact me during the coming 10 days while I am enjoying the World Championships.
'Thank you very much.'
-- Svein Arne Hansen, European Athletics President