INDIANAPOLIS – The 50th IAAF Congress, scheduled for August 18-20 in Beijing, promises to be memorable for more than just the 50th meeting of the group. With 2015 serving as an election year, IAAF delegates will select a new president who will lead global athletics into a new era.

It marks just the second time since 1981 that the IAAF will see the ascension of a new president, with Lamine Diack having served as president since 1999. Sergey Bubka of Ukraine (www.sergeybubka.com) and Sebastian Coe (http://sebcoe2015.org/) of Great Britain, both legends as athletes and since active in international sport, will stand for election to the presidency as Congress convenes.

“This will be a historic meeting for the future of athletics,” said USATF President Stephanie Hightower, who will lead the USATF delegation to the Congress. “We collectively share an opportunity and an obligation to take our sport into a new and exciting era that builds upon the rich legacy of our past.”

Over the last three years, the United States has worked diligently to better serve the international athletics community, stepping forward to host the 2014 NACAC Women’s Conference, 2014 IAAF Council, 2014 IAAF World Youth Championships, 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships and 2021 IAAF World Championships.

As an active federation looking to increase engagement with IAAF and the position of the sport globally, USATF will look for several key attributes in the next IAAF President:

• A successful visionary who has impacted and improved organizations and institutions
• Experience as a CEO, President or Chairman in international business and sport
• A comprehensive plan to evolve the sport in the next era
• An athlete-centered approach that places athlete considerations at the forefront of competitive, commercial and promotional strategies
• A business strategy that targets new categories of partners and geographical diversity in corporate sponsors
• Past success in generating political collaboration and sponsorship success
• A comprehensive strategy regarding anti-doping and a commitment to further efforts for clean sport
• An individual held in high regard within athletics, among a range of sports around the world and in the international business community

The 2015 Congress also will feature elections for IAAF Council and Committees. USATF is putting forward five candidates for election to IAAF positions:

Council – Stephanie Hightower

Technical Committee – David Katz

Cross Country Committee – Bill Roe

Women’s Committee – Anne (Timmons) Phillips

Race Walk Committee – Maryanne Daniel

Biographies of IAAF candidates may be found at

https://www.usatf.org/Docs/USA_IAAF_Candidate_Bio_Sheet_Eng-FNL.aspx

For breaking news from the IAAF Congress and World Championships, visit www.iaaf.org. To follow Team USA in Beijing, follow team reports at www.usatf.org. Fans can get behind-the-scenes insights, photos and interactions on Twitter @usatf; on Instagram @usatf; and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/USATFfans