Bubka Pledges "Total Focus" on Presidency

(ATR) If elected, Sergey Bubka says he will treat the International Association of Athletics Federations presidency as a full time job.

Bubka made the promise at a campaign speech in Paris, saying he would use his know-how from being on the IOC executive board to work with the IOC and other international sport bodies effectively.

"I learned the value of having a totally focused president many years ago from the achievements of Juan Antonio Samaranch," Bubka said.

"It was Juan Antonio who taught me that presidency of the global sport bodies should be full-time office job with full commitment.

"[The IAAF presidency] is one of the biggest jobs in sport and demands the commitment and focus of a full-time president to ensure we maximize the potential of athletics in the years ahead."

In his platform, entitled "Vision 2025," Bubka says he will work with each individual member federation of the IAAF to develop their needs. He said that in order to do so, the organization needs a strong, proactive president.

"I see the IAAF as a service organization and the role of its president is to lead that provision," Bubka added.

"My presidency will be built on recognizing that there can be no one-size-fits-all approach to servicing federations. So we have to find out what our members really need and want to make them as effective as they can be in attracting and developing the athletes who will be our future."

Bubka continued his speech outlining ways that athletics needed to "bring more young people" into the sport.

"I am a great believer in taking athletics to the people by creating new types of events and holding them in accessible public places," Bubka said.

"We need to think and act innovatively across the entire spectrum of athletics to create new momentum for our sport."

Bubka is running for the IAAF presidency against Sebastian Coe with the election taking place in August ahead of the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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