Latest news with #Tokyo2023
South China Morning Post
24-06-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
‘Big and punchy': World Athletics chief Coe looks to future in final 2 years in role
Sebastian Coe has two years left as World Athletics president and it promises to be lively, as he said next year's inaugural Ultimate Team Championship would remind the world the sport was 'big and punchy and still there.' The 68-year-old Englishman has shrugged off the disappointment of finishing third in the International Olympic Committee presidential election in March, saying he was not 'not one for rear view mirrors', adding he had 'conceded and moved on'. Moved on he certainly has. The old brio, dynamism and charm were all to the fore as he addressed the issues that would dominate the final leg of a 12-year tenure that – like his Olympic gold medal-winning track career – has never been dull. The World Championships arrive in September in Tokyo – 'a massive moment', Coe said, not least because there would be spectators unlike at the Covid-delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in the same stadium. Then attention switches to the Ultimate Team Championship, slated for September 11 to 13 next year, in Budapest – the city which hosted the 2023 hosted the 2023 World Championships. Jamaica's Roje Stona takes part in the discus final in the Stade de France during the Paris Olympics. Photo: Reuters Each session will last three hours and athletes will represent both themselves and their national teams, wearing national kit.
Japan Times
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
It will be 'big and punchy': Athletics chief Coe looks to future
Sebastian Coe has two years left as World Athletics president and it promises to be lively, as he said next year's inaugural Ultimate Team Championship will remind the world the sport is "big and punchy and still there." The 68-year-old Englishman has shrugged off the disappointment of finishing third in the International Olympic Committee presidential election in March, saying he is "not one for rearview mirrors." "Concede and move on," he adds. Move on he certainly has. The old brio, dynamism and charm are all to the fore as he addresses the issues that will dominate the final leg of a 12-year tenure that — like his Olympic gold medal-winning track career — has never been dull. The World Championships arrive in September in Tokyo — "a massive moment," Coe said, not least because there will be spectators, unlike at the COVID-delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in the same stadium. "Everybody gets the emotional impact" of that, he added. Then attention switches to the Ultimate Team Championship, slated for Sept. 11 to 13, 2026, in Budapest — the city that hosted the 2023 world championships. Each session will last three hours and athletes will represent both themselves and their national teams, wearing national kit. "Next year is unashamedly aimed at TV," Coe said in an interview following Friday's Paris Diamond League meet. "It's unashamedly aimed at unlocking new audiences. "So we go from '24, where we have a big global audience in the Olympic Games, to '25, which are world championships. "2026 now gives us, in September, an opportunity for the world to remember we're big and punchy and still there." Another former track great, Michael Johnson, had wanted to make just such an impact with his Grand Slam series this year. However, it failed to sparkle, and the fourth and final stop in Los Angeles was canceled. Coe said that just as World Athletics learns from its events, so will Grand Slam. "We want to be enablers. I'm not the 'computer says no' federation," said Coe. "We want to encourage fresh thinking and fresh income into this sport. "I've been involved in startups, it's complicated. But execution is everything." Coe said those who suffer from any fallout are the athletes, who he has striven to enrich as much as possible. To that end, the Ultimate Team Championship will boast a record-setting prize pot of $10 million — "everybody will pick up something." World Athletics' decision to sanction awarding prize money to Olympic gold medalists in Paris last year did not win Coe many friends in the International Olympic Committee hierarchy or among the federation chiefs of other sports. However, he remains undeterred. "Prize money and improving the lot of the athletes in the next few years is really, really important," said Coe. "Although prize money wasn't flavor of the month in Lausanne (where the IOC is based), we are going to drive ahead on that." Coe said he has always battled for athletes' financial well-being. He and former IOC president Thomas Bach — who handed over power to Kirsty Coventry on Monday — co-wrote a speech he delivered to the 1981 IOC Congress raising the topic. Coe said the idea for the Paris prize money came to him on a long-haul flight to New York in February 2024, and he rang Abby Hoffmann, a WA Council member, from a book shop asking her opinion about his "crazy idea." "She replied, 'I think you should take more long-haul flights,' and that was how it came about." Coe said it is only fair when one considers the wealth of the IOC. "They're competing in a movement that has billions of dollars," said Coe. "It's a bit like Taylor Swift being the only person not being paid at the concert, but the volunteers and the janitors and the concessions and everybody else is doing OK out of it." Coe and WA's decision to impose a blanket ban on Russian athletes over the invasion of Ukraine was another area where he and Bach disagreed. That ban remains in place, although Coe concedes that if a peace agreement is reached then it is not for sport to stand in the way of the Russians' return. The conflict, though, has left its mark on Coe after a visit he paid to Ukraine. "When you get to Kyiv (train station), there's probably 50 or 60 ambulances and hearses waiting on the platform. "Families waiting for the news. They have two carriages, mobile operating theaters and intensive care units, where amputations are taking place as the train's coming back. "So, sorry, it's not something I could ever really be neutral about."
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rizzo claims huge scalp at venue of world aths titles
In-form sprinter Bree Rizzo has headlined a big day for Australian athletics in Tokyo, beating American star Sha'Carri Richardson to take out the 100m. A month after claiming the Stawell Gift off scratch, Rizzo was among six Australian wins, three meet records and seven podium finishes at the Seiko grand prix. It was held at the National Stadium, which will host September's world championships. Rizzo, who also finished third last month behind Torrie Lewis in the 100m at the Australian championships, clocked 11.38 seconds to win the 100m in Tokyo , with Richardson finishing fourth. Just over a year ago, Lewis beat Richardson at a Diamond League meeting in China. A 16-athlete Australian team made itself at home in Tokyo ahead of the worlds, with Georgia Griffith also posting the fastest outdoor time of the year in the women's 1500m. Griffith clocked four minutes 01.10 seconds to also break the 10-year meeting record held by Ethiopian great Gudaf Tsegay. The Australian won by five seconds, with compatriot Sarah Billings taking third place. Rose Davies and Jude Thomas dominated the 3000m events, also breaking the meet records. Davies' 8:42.38 gave her the women's race by nearly six seconds, and Thomas improved to 10th on the all-time Australian men's list with his 7:39.69 win. Reece Holder won the men's 400m in 44.76 seconds, and Liam Adcock's last jump of 8.20m won him the long jump.
NHK
13-05-2025
- Sport
- NHK
May Tournament Day 2 - GRAND SUMO Highlights
NHK WORLD-JAPAN presents a sumo highlights program for fans around the globe. Today the show features all top-division bouts from May 12th, Day 2 of the Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo.
Irish Times
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley play starring roles as Ireland qualify for World Championships on the double
With two out of three missions accomplished, there were plenty of smiles and high fives among the Irish teams competing at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China . Still, there was a nagging sense of what might have been. The event was primarily about qualification for the World Championships in Tokyo in September. Guangzhou presented two opportunities on that front. The Irish mixed 4x400m quartet were first to book their Tokyo ticket after nailing the runner-up spot in Saturday's first qualification round, before the women's 4x400m joined them on Sunday by winning their second qualification round. Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley played an instrumental role in both teams, proving once again just how indispensable they are to Irish relay prospects right now. Running the second and anchor legs respectively, they clearly made the difference. Mawdsley produced the fastest split in their second qualification round of the women's 4x400m with her 50.01 seconds. READ MORE Ireland won in 3:24.69 ahead of Australia (3:27.31) and Switzerland (3:32.37). Adeleke clocked 50.38, with Sophie Becker taking the first leg (51.41) and Rachel McCann the third (52.89). The men's 4x400m were also in Guangzhou chasing Tokyo qualification. However, after finishing sixth in their first-round heat on Saturday, they also fell short with their second chance on Sunday. The quartet of Conor Kelly, Cillín Greene, Chris O'Donnell and Jack Raftery finished eighth in the latter run. Adeleke was satisfied with her trip to China: 'I think we have solidified ourselves as one of the best relays in the world and we're just continuing that on,' the 22-year-old said after the women's 4x400m. 'We're building, especially me. I'm building every race and getting back into shape and I'm really excited to see what this season holds for all of us, individually and as a team.' Sharlene Mawdsley produced the fastest split in the second qualification round of the women's 4x400m. Photograph: Tocko Mackic/Inpho On Saturday, Adeleke and Mawdsley focused on the mixed 4x400m heat. Adeleke raced a little more conservatively than usual, but their second-place finish – Mawdsley kicking past Poland's former European champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic on the last leg – earned them Tokyo qualification and a place in Sunday's final. 'I was actually quite happy I got the baton in third, I had something to work towards,' Mawdsley said after that race. 'Top two was auto Q and I ticked the box and I was put in such a great position. I was delighted to overtake on the bend and hold on to second.' The top 14 teams across all events booked their places in Tokyo. This was broken down to the eight finalists plus the top three from the two heats in the second qualifying round. [ Sam Mulroy's storybook second half sees Louth win Leinster for the first time since 1957 Opens in new window ] [ Ireland's relay stars part of an 'overnight' success story stretching back to Ronnie Delany in the 1950s Opens in new window ] With the Irish mixed quartet already assured of their Tokyo place, Adeleke and Mawdsley came into the women's 4x400m to boost their qualification prospects. In their absence, Ireland started with a weakened team for Sunday's final of the mixed 4x400m relay. The quartet of Raftery, Phil Healy, Aaron Keane and Lauren Cadden finished eighth of the eight finalists, clocking 3:19.64. USA won gold in a World Relays championship record of 3:09.54. Raftery was back on the track an hour after running the men's 4x400m second round heat, but he still managed an impressive split of 45.89 seconds. Healy briefly moved the team up to sixth, but Keane (46.97) and Cadden (53.16) lost some ground on the closing two legs. Ireland's Rachel McCann, Sophie Becker, Sharlene Mawdsley and Rhasidat Adeleke finished ahead of Australia and Switzerland in the second qualifying round at the World Athletics Relays. Photograph: Tocko Mackic/Inpho Had either Adeleke or Mawdsley been able to focus on that final, there was clear potential for a medal. The Irish record of 3:09.92, clocked when winning European gold in Rome last June, would have been good enough for silver here. The girls put me in a great position and I love to chase — Sharlene Mawdsley At last year's event in the Bahamas, the mixed quartet that included Adeleke and Mawdsley won bronze, where Adeleke's split time of 48.45 seconds was the fastest ever recorded at the World Relays. Ireland also just missed an Olympic bronze medal in Paris, clocking 3:19.90 when finishing fourth in the women's 4x400m. That sort of time would easily have won the gold medal here, with Spain the surprise winners in 3:24.14 ahead of the USA (3:24.72). After a rainy night on Saturday, conditions inside the Guangdong Stadium were more favourable on Sunday. Mawdsley hadn't raced since sustaining a hamstring injury during the European Indoors back in March. 'The girls put me in a great position and I love to chase,' Mawdsley said after the women's 4x400m, where she passed Australia's Alanah Yukich in the last 150m. 'It's all about learning and looking forward to the rest of the summer.' Tokyo will be a different prospect in both the mixed and women's 4x400m, but the two Irish teams will be there. Mission accomplished.
