Coe hints at global version of Europe's Golden League

Europe's Golden League could be about to go global, according to senior International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) official Sebastian Coe.

"No change is not an option," Coe told the Observer newspaper on Sunday. "The big attraction... is head-to-head challenges.

"If tennis can have Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal going up against each other several times a year, we need to have Usain Bolt running against (Jamaican sprint rival) Asafa Powell more than twice a year.

"We need a coherent narrative through the season," added Briton Coe, one of three IAAF vice-presidents.

The IAAF opens a two-day meeting in Monaco on Sunday to determine the extent of the Golden League shake-up. The sport's governing body has been seeking ways to expand the format, with IAAF president Lamine Diack keen to include events in China and the United States.

The existing league is limited to six European meetings offering a million-dollar jackpot to be shared by athletes who win their event at every one.

Coe said the league needed to change. "Athletics is a strong sport," said the double Olympic 1,500 metres champion. "It is global, it is men and women but it is not a game, one team against another, and it faces challenges.

"There's a degree of confusion among the public about how the season works and we have to change that."

LONDON, Reuters