IAAF – IOC Joint Press Conference – Daegu 2011

Daegu, Korea – Following the tradition established at previous IAAF World Championships, theIAAF Council met the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today, on the eve of the start of nine days of competition in Daegu. The Meeting was chaired jointly by IAAF President Lamine Diack and IOC President Jacques Rogge, and was followed by a press conference.

Lamine Diack:

“This meeting has been an opportunity for to take stock of our problems, many of which our organisations have in common. This morning our meeting went very well. As usual we took stock of the general situation of the Olympic movement and the different deadlines like London next year. We’ve also discussed what will happen in Nanjing (Youth Olympic Games), we’ve discussed doping problems and we’ve discussed other issues. I want the IOC Members to see track and field at its best, for track and field IS the No.1 event in the Olympic Games.”

Jacques Rogge:

“This has been a very good meeting and a very good spirit with a great sense of unity. We discussed of course the up-coming Olympic Games, also the Youth Olympic Games. We discussed general issues of sport, like the new generation, doping, betting, and the court of arbitration.”

QUESTIONS and ANSWERS

Question: The IAAF are introducing blood testing for every competitor at these championships, is that something you’d like to see being introduced across all the sports in London next year?

Rogge: “We would absolutely be willing to collaborate with the international federations during the London Games. As you know, the blood passport requires frequent testing on a regular basis. We will do blood sampling for the athletes in London, but of course this is only one time in a long series of tests for which we are going to work with the international federations.”

Question: In the case of LaShawn Merritt, I wanted to ask if there is some rethinking from the IOC on the situation where athletes banned for more than 6 months are banned from the Games?

Rogge: “We discussed this situation this morning with the IAAF. The position of the IOC is very clear – it’s not a matter of sanction, it’s a matter of eligibility. To be able to participate in the Olympic Games, we think that the athlete cannot have been sanctioned for more than six months. There is a disagreement from some athletes and there was a case with Merritt who launched a case against us. We agreed together with the United States Olympic Committee to have a ruling by the court of arbitration. They have had the hearings and the decision will be reached by the end of September.”

Question: On Sunday we will have Oscar Pistorius running here at the World Championships. I’d just like to know what your feelings are and what you see as the significance of that move.

Diack: “When the Pistorius case came up the IAAF took all necessary steps within its competence to find out if he had an advantage because of his prostheses. The specialists consulted and decided he had an advantage, he went to CAS who said that Pistorius could take part, but the IAAF has the ability to check if his blades remain within the limit of those we reviewed and looked at two years ago.”

“We believe that this person is a unique case; it is very rare that a person like him runs. He has taken part in several sports, including track and field, and he managed to qualify himself for competitions and we decided to let him take part. He thus will take part in the World Championships and we will see what the result will be. The only thing we did is we said to the South African Federation if you want to have him in the relays, he must run on the first leg. We shall see what the result will be and what kind of follow-up will be given.”

Rogge: “The situation is very clear. The decision on whether Pistorius should be allowed to run in London is first of all we need a certificate of eligibility by the International Federation, and if that is okay he still needs to qualify – both in terms of the standards of the International Federation, but also in terms of the standards of the country’s own international Olympic Committee.”

Diack: “This young man from the outset was very highly disabled as he had his legs amputated at the age of eight months. Now he fulfils all qualification conditions in order to be able to compete.”

Question: Mr Rogge tells us that you have been discussing the LaShawn Merritt case this morning. Did the IAAF take a position in this case; did you ask the IOC to change its position in this situation?

Diack: “The IOC decision was taken back in 2008 and we had no objection whatsoever. This rule was implemented for the Winter Games and now for the Summer Games we have suddenly found there are several problems. As to the WADA code, the minimum we can give is a suspension. Within the rules that allow you to reduce a sanction, we cannot go below one year….”

Question: How do you assess the level of preparation of the Daegu LOC for the World Championships?

Diack: “All conditions have been fulfilled so that the athletes can perform to the highest level of their potential. I’ve been to the village, I’m met the delegations, I’ve spoken to people who have told me that they have attended Paris, Helsinki, Osaka and Berlin, but the conditions offered here are absolutely perfect and even better at all levels – the sports facilities, the stadium is brand new and has been refurbished, we have the best possible Mondo track. And I believe that it is now up to the athletes to perform. All we need now is an agreement with the gods to have sunshine from tomorrow until the end of the championships to avoid the situation we had in Helsinki where it rained all the time.”

Rogge: “To be very frank I landed yesterday morning at 5am and had a full day of meetings yesterday and today, and I have not yet been to the stadium. But ask me this same question after the first day of competition and I will give you my feedback on how I see Daegu. However, I have been in Daegu for the Universiade in 2003 so I know that the people of Daegu have a great infrastructure, they can organise a great event so I am very hopeful. This week I have the unique opportunity to enjoy the sports without having any responsibility for the show and that is great.”

Question: Has it been a challenge to organise this event in a nation that has never won a medal at the World Championships? They might be the third host nation of the World Championships to not win a medal.

Diack: “One doesn’t prevent the other. I believe that if a country can offer all guarantees to host a championship, you have to give them a chance. Organising a World Championships gives a chance to the country to discover sports. Finland is a track and field country and back in 1983 they hosted the first World Championships. You may remember that they only won one (gold) medal at the very end by a javelin thrower (Tiina Lillak). We went back to Finland in 2005 and they didn’t win many medals; they eventually got a bronze medal in the Long Jump but that didn’t prevent Finland in organising a World Championships. Korean athletes might perform better than ever. I think and I hope that they will win a medal.”

Question: How about a World Championships in Africa?

Diack: “I have had no bid from Africa for the next opportunity, but bids are open. It’s easier to organise a football World Championship. Track and field requires a stadium and a warm-up track. There are several African nations that are capable of hosting a World Championships. All we need is the will by the government to invest in this sport. An idea has been voiced by Morocco for 2017 and I hope that we will have a bid from elsewhere in Africa.”

Question: Later today you will be with the executive board discussing a possibility of a change of dates for Qatar possibly bidding for the 2020 Olympic Games. How will you handle this and I understand that any decision will not be publicly made at this meeting, so what is the protocol involved?

Rogge: “I will handle this by first of all listening to my colleagues and trying to find the consensus of opinion. We are not going to issue a press release immediately because first we want to give the opportunity to our friends in Qatar to discuss with us about the decision we are going to take, so it is going to be a very organised way of doing it.”

Question: The 100m here is going to take place without Mike Rodgers and Steve Mullings because of positive tests, but will take place with Dwain Chambers and Justin Gatlin who have served bans. Is the 100m still a credible event or has it been devalued?

Diack: “I don’t think we can say the event has been devalued because one athlete is not there. It is a World Championships with the best athletes, whatever the event. Just because Gebrselassie is not running the 10,000m does not mean that the 10,000m is devalued. Our sport is like this, and sometimes it’s necessary to have a tiny wound to change the whole situation. One day it’s full of glory, the next day it is wounded and this can happen. Some are not there because they are not fit, others are injured, and this is just what sometimes happens to the best athletes who perform to the highest limits. But we hope that we will have surprises here in Daegu. After Beijing it was said to us that it was not possible to do any better, and then we had Berlin. So let’s see what happens in the week to come.”

IAAF

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