by Lord Coe says that Michael Johnson’s Grand Chelem’s song is not a threat to world athletics and hopes that the new competition succeeds.
The quadruple American Olympic champion Johnson launched a Grand Chelem piece in June with the championship for its inaugural season in 2025.
The renowned announcements and the lucrative price helped build a media threw around the track -based competition, which will focus on events from 100 meters to 5,000 meters.
My objective as an art was to do things that no one had done before! Some said I couldn’t, but many said I could. My goal again with @Grandslamtrack It is doing things that have not been done. And as before, I am motivated by all the people who say that I can! 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/ytxxzrfwpd
– Michael Johnson (@mjgold) June 21, 2024
In addition to a price pot of $ 12.6 million (10 million pounds sterling), 48 “runners” contracted will receive a basic salary to compete in the four slams.
The American cities Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles will welcome after the short -COURTE in Kingston, in Jamaica, while the Diamond League – the established professional circuit of sport – will again hold 15 meetings in 2025 with a record price totaling 9.2 million dollars (£ 7.3 million pounds sterling).
“We must be comforted that we have created a landscape where people think that it is worth investing in our sport,” said Coe, current president of world athletics, when he was asked about the big Home at a press conference.
“They didn’t do it five years ago and they didn’t do it 15 years ago. I am very welcoming of all kinds of innovation and investment within reasonable limits.
“It is important that we are working as employees here and not competitors.
“I want them to succeed and add chandeliers to our sport. I think there is space for everyone here as long as there is communication and we have the coordination of the calendar.
“I don’t see it as a threat. I have never seen competition as a threat. You work either with competition or you don’t.
“Frankly, it is an organization that welcomes all kinds of innovation. We have shown that we are not afraid of this, and I hope that Michael is successful. »»
Coe, a double Olympic gold medalist of 1500m, is currently one of the seven candidates for the presidency of the Olympic International Committee.
The successor of the outgoing president Thomas Bach will be elected to the IOC session in Athens next March.
If Coe succeeds, his position at World Athletics will be immediately filled by the senior vice-president Ximena Restrepo.
Coe said: “Our governance and our constitution are very clear. If there is a vacancy at World Athletics, keeping in mind that there is also a transition period from three and a half to four months, this role would be in very competent hands of Ximena Restrepo.
“We know exactly what would happen, essentially what we describe as a vacancy policy.
“If someone in our governance structure is moving away, we are absolutely clear how we replace and evolve transparently, as any good organization should be structured.”
