An IPL-style auction in athletics? Why not?

Bengaluru, October 5: As part of the proposed radical changes to make the sport more appealing, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is mulling introducing cricket's Indian Premier League (IPL)-style auction.

IAAF President Lord Sebastian Coe said the proposed changes would come into effect from the 2019 World Championships to be held in Doha.

"There are lots of things we can do. What about cities, teams, franchises? You see the excitement of the pick with the IPL auction. We need to have some early hour moments of unease about what we are prepared to do," said Coe, while speaking at the Leaders in Sport conference in London.

The Doha Worlds could spot an entirely new look if one goes by Coe's ambitious plans with established track and field events being cut from the programme.

"Everything is on the table. Frankly, I'm not ruling out anything.

"The London World Championships was fabulous but is it sensible that it runs over 10 days anymore? Do we have fewer athletes?

"There has got to be drama, nobody wants to watch a procession. Over the next year our relentless focus on formats and the changes that we make in the sport has to be absolutely laser-like," he added.

Athletics which has been marred by a spate of doping scandals is also facing a severe identity crisis, especially with the retirement of champion sprinter Usain Bolt.

Coe, himself, a two-time Olympic medallist feels radical thinking is the only way out to clear out of the present mess.

"Our season needs to make sense, we need a rhyme and reason to it. We really need a deep dive over the next two years so that we really do understand what that sport can look like and set it on the way for the next 30 years. For example, why're we wedded to a 400M track? Why can we not have pop-up 300 or 200M tracks in football stadiums? We've to be radical in our thinking," Coe concluded.