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On the 17 July 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden, following the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in the Swedish capital, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) was founded as the world governing body for the sport of track and field athletics.
During the 10 decades that followed, athletics underwent many changes which reflected the political and socio-economic evolution of the wider world. Even the IAAF’s name changed, in 2001 becoming the ‘International Association of Athletics Federations’ to reflect the growth of a professional sporting world which did not exist in 1912.
The organisation was founded to fulfil the need for a world governing authority, for a competition programme, for standardised technical equipment and for a list of official world records. All of these requirements remain today.
Yet in an ever-changing world, international sport federations need to be proactive when trying to reach new audiences and find new hosts for their events. It is also fundamental that officials fully understand that athletics is no longer just about high performance, gold medals and records, but also about “sport for all” and about ensuring that the maximum number of citizens are able to participate in athletics.
Despite such inherent benefits, the IAAF recognises that athletics is not only competing for the public’s attention in a media and entertainment-driven world, but also that organisations must properly embrace matters touching on social responsibility, the environment and all matters that help advance athletics as a force to change the world for good.
As the organisation enters its second century of existence, its aim is to further enhance the sport of athletics to offer new and exciting prospects for players and spectators alike. It seeks to ensure that every area of athletics is reviewed, tested and encouraged to strive for excellence.
The Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments (SFVC) online platform allows stakeholders to inform the public about their work on DRR. The SFVC online platform is a useful toolto know who is doing what and where for the implementation of the Sendai Framework, which could foster potential collaboration among stakeholders. All stakeholders (private sector, civil society organizations, academia, media, local governments, etc.) working on DRR can submit their commitments and report on their progress and deliverables.