IAAF wants to link Oregon meet to LA Olympics to grow sport

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(Reuters) – Global athletics is hoping to link the 2021 world championships in Oregon to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in a bid to maximize interest in

the sport in the United States, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) chief executive told Reuters on Wednesday.

The United States track and field team ranks as the best in the world but American spectator interest is relatively low.

“We are starting to think about the wrap up in the U.S. to LA 2028,” Olivier Gers said in a telephone interview from Eugene, Oregon where he is on a

site visit for the 2021 championships, the first to be held in the United States.

To read entire story, go to:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-athletics-world-oregon/iaaf-wants-to-link-oregon-meet-to-la-olympics-to-grow-sport-idUSKBN1F635I

RunBlogRun opines: Great idea for IAAF. And it makes total sense. Olivier Gers, CEO of IAAF sees that the major sporting event globally of 2021

is a great way to build the interest for athletics and the LA 2028 Olympics. Hope to see LA 2028 interest in this one. Makes total sense.

Hayward Field, photo by PhotoRun.net

Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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