The change in name of International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to World Athletics was officially approved by the governing body’s Congress in Doha in October.
The IAAF was founded in 1912 as the International Amateur Athletic Federation, but changed its name to the International Association of Athletics Federations in 2001 to reflect the non-amateur status of top competitors.
A new logo, consisting of three main elements, has already been launched to support the name-change.
The “W” of World is a symbol of an athlete’s arms raised in victory, while the “A” of Athletics represents an athlete’s focus as they prepare for the road.
The arc over both letters represents the entire athletics community coming together.
The patterns capture the energy present in all four of athletics’ group disciplines, which are running, jumping, throwing and walking.
The IAAF claims the rebrand builds upon the organisation’s restructuring and governance reform agenda to represent a modern, creative and positive face for the sport, while breaking away from the past.
