"VAN" (Sports Desk - 10.09.2025) :: The topics of growth, innovation and prioritisation drove discussion at the 238th World Athletics Council Meeting in Tokyo, where World Athletics President Sebastian Coe reinforced the sport’s key strategies for growth.
Gathering in the Japanese capital ahead of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 that will take place from 13 to 21 September, the Council received updates on the next two years.
“In two years’ time we will meet again in Beijing and a number of us in this room, including me, will end our term of office at World Athletics. That gives us two years to supercharge our sport so we can hand it over to others in better shape than we inherited it,” said Coe during the Council meeting on 8-9 September.
“World Athletics is now a high-performing growth business. This isn’t a vision or a wish. It is a fact.
“Growth is exciting, but it can also be risky if you are not prepared. Fast-growth businesses are not just looking for short-term wins, they are building scalable systems and strategies to sustain that growth over time. It’s why we have a four-year business strategy and an eight-year World Plan.”
The end of 2025 will mark the halfway point for the business strategy, ‘Pioneering Change’.
Providing the foundation for growth, Coe added, are five core components: a robust financial position, a strong brand identity, a people strategy, excellent communication, and transparency.
“Our challenge isn’t a lack of ambition,” he continued. “It’s knowing where to prioritise, how to adapt, and how to make the kind of strategic decisions that lead to meaningful, sustainable growth.
“Understanding the goal is what is important – actually, critical – as our growth journey will only speed up over the next two years.”
Illustrating this strategy is the World Athletics Ultimate Championship that will launch in Budapest in 2026 and has been developed to ensure that every athletics season culminates with a major global championship with real meaning for athletes, fans, media and broadcasters.
The groundbreaking global contest will see the world’s top-ranked track and field athletes compete head-to-head to decide who is truly the best on the planet. Featuring a compact schedule of three sessions held over three days, each session will include straight finals in jumps and throws, and semifinals and finals in track events, to ensure the ultimate fan experience.
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