World Atheletics opposes diplomatic boycott of winter Olympics

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe stressed that he sees no point in boycotting China over human rights. Speaking in his annual year-end conference call, Coe said his sport had "come out of 2021 in a strong position" and he was bullish about its immediate prospects for growth with the World Championships in the United States for the first time in 2022. He added that he's philosophically opposed to boycotts in sports. As a middle-distance runner for Britain, Coe won the 1,500m at the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow after the Americans led a boycott. He won the 1,500m again at the '84 Games in Los Angeles when the Soviet Union led a boycott.

Coe said. "Diplomatic boycotts, while not really impacting the athlete, are not really particularly strong gestures. Speaking in his annual year-end conference call, Coe said his sport had "come out of 2021 in a strong position" and he was bullish about its immediate prospects for growth with the World Championships in the United States for the first time in 2022. Coe said the sport was also benefiting at grassroots level because governments were "belatedly" focussing on public health and fitness. "A lot will change by 2028, broadcast will change with streaming. We need a broadcast strategy that will chime with what's happening," he said. World Athletics was focussed on "connecting athletes and athletics to big issues that matter to them such as climate change and human rights," he said.