With the Heritage Collection the IAAF wants to yoke the sport’s present to its glorious past but there was an aspect missing from the president’s speech at the launch
At midday last Sunday, Sebastian Coe launched the IAAF’s scheme to get people interested in athletics. It is called the Heritage Collection and is a display of old athletics artefacts, medals, programmes, papers, odd bits of kit from out of the attic, Stacy Dragila’s vest and Jason Gardener’s spikes.
The idea, Lord Coe explained, was to win “long-term loyalty of young fans” by showing the “historic context” of the sport. Coe spoke about taking the display on the road but ultimately the International Association of Athletics Associations wants to put it all in a “new museum for sport in Monaco”. No doubt, the Monegasque kids will be queuing along the Boulevard Louis II to see one of Gabriella Szabo’s old bibs.
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