© Copyright – 2019 – Athletics Illustrated
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is a mouthful and is confusing for anyone saying the name to whoever is not familiar with the worldwide governing body of athletics.
The council voted in favour of rebranding the organization as World Athletics complete with a new logo.
The IAAF president Lord Sebastian Coe revealed the new name and logo at the 217th IAAF Council Meeting in Monaco on June 9.
World Athletics’ new identity will begin its rollout in October after the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar and following final approval by the congress of the change to the federation’s legal name.
World Athletics hopes to connect with youth.
The new logo includes three elements, the ‘W’ which is said to also be a symbol of an athlete’s arms raised in victory; the ‘A’, designed to represent an athlete’s focus as they prepare for the road ahead; and an arc over both to represent the entire athletics community coming together.
Whatever the result, the identity has been “IAAF” for over 100 years and needs a revamp. The name change is ideal – the branding, like art, is up to the beholder.