Athletics global governing body, the IAAF has unveiled its rebranding to become ‘World Athletics’, which builds upon the organisation’s restructuring and governance reform agenda of the past four years to represent a modern, more creative and positive face for the sport.

The changes were approved by the governing body at its 217th council meeting in Monaco, as it seeks to deepen how clearly it communicates its message and mission, as well as making the sport more accessible to a wider audience.

President Sebastian Coe commented: “The hope is that our new brand will help attract and engage a new generation of young people to athletics.

“We have now created a brand that can come to life in the digital world while reflecting the changing nature of the sport. And at the same time bring into focus the athletes, the heroes of our sport.”

The group’s CEO Jon Ridgeon added on the rebranding: “The IAAF name has been in existence for over 100 years, but it has little understanding or relevance to those outside of athletics. The new identity creates a symbol that can stand alone and work with partners and events.”

The new brand identity will begin its rollout in October after the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 and following Congress’s approval of the change to the Federation’s legal name.

The logo design is comprised of three main elements: the ‘W’ of World, which is also a symbol of an athlete’s arms raised in victory; the ‘A’ of Athletics, which also represents an athlete’s focus as they prepare for the road ahead; and an arc over both to represent the entire athletics community coming together.

The logo also includes the sweep of a running track which appears in an upward trajectory, symbolising the desire to continually push beyond limits. The patterns capture the energy present in all four of athletics’ group disciplines: running, jumping, throwing and walking.

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