Coe: China is a 'world-class' host for major sports events

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe lauded China's leading role in hosting world-class sporting events during his visit to Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province and the host city of the ongoing 9th Asian Winter Games.

"I really liked the opening ceremony. I thought it was cultural. I thought it was energetic, and it was athletic. The dancing was beautiful. And I loved the fact that so many young people took part in it," Coe said.

The Harbin Games, held under the slogan "Dream of Winter, Love among Asia," runs from Feb 7 to 14. This marks China's third time hosting the Asian Winter Games, following Harbin in 1996 and Changchun, capital of Jilin province, in 2007. It is the latest major international winter sports event hosted by China since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

As head of athletics' global governing body, Coe expressed his delight at seeing Wang Zhen, the 2016 Rio Olympic race walking gold medalist, participate in the opening ceremony as one of the four torchbearers.

"I'm always very pleased to see track and field athletes being involved in other sporting events. It not only tells me the status that athletics has as a global sport, but also the importance of athletics in China. China is a really important country for the development of athletics and also for the development of Olympic sports," said Coe.

He emphasized Asia's potential for expanding the global footprint of sports, particularly Olympic sports, and highlighted China's significance in athletics.

"We have our World Indoor Championships in Nanjing in just a few weeks. We then have the World Relays in Guangzhou, and then the jewel in the crown — our World Championships in Beijing in 2027," said Coe. "It's the same city where I got elected to the presidency of World Athletics in 2015, and I've been doing that job ever since, so I think Beijing is my lucky city."

Coe also praised the preparations for the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, to be held between March 21 and 23.

"The preparation has been outstanding," he said. "I will be there to watch an event that I know will be outstanding. China is world-class at delivering world-class events. We know that when we are working with an organizing committee in China, we're working with the very highest caliber of people."

Last year, World Athletics introduced a prize money policy, offering a total of $2.4 million to the 48 athletics event winners at the Paris Olympics. Coe said this initiative provides athletes with greater financial security, allowing them to extend their careers and explore opportunities post-retirement.

"Prize money was only one small element of what I have been discussing for many years. The welfare of the athlete is a holistic challenge. It's about their mental health, and it's about their physical health," Coe said.

"And I think that is also helped by giving them a little bit more financial security, and that financial security often allows them to stay in the sport a little bit longer, maybe for another Olympic cycle.

"It gives them the opportunity when their careers finish, to pause for breath, and maybe even to go back into full-time education. It gives them options," he added.

The two-time 1,500-meter Olympic champion views talented athletes as "commercial partners" for sports organizations, given their ability to attract large audiences.

"I've always felt it's important. As somebody who came through the sport. I won two Olympic titles. I'm the product of world-class coaching. I also know that the athletes need to know that I understand they are an inseparable part of that landscape, and why commercial world athletics is doing so well," Coe said.

"I want them to feel that they have a commercial partnership with our sport."

Coe also stressed the importance of protecting the integrity of women's sports and advocating for clear, science-based policies to safeguard the female category.

"It is really our responsibility as leaders in sport to protect the integrity, and to promote the integrity of women's sports, because if we don't, then we will lose women's sports. And the integrity of the sport is very important to me," he said.

"Athletes need to be competing on a level playing field. They need to know that when they are competing, they are competing against biological females. And that is of critical importance."

Xinhua