Exclusive: Adille Sumariwalla in line to be first Asian chief of World Athletics

Adille Sumariwalla, a senior statesman among sports administrators in India, has worn many a hat at the national and international levels. Come next year, the former Olympian and sprint ace will be in line for his biggest assignment yet — that of succeeding Lord Sebastian Coe as the first Asian president of World Athletics.

"I feel I stand a very good chance as I have worked in all areas of the sport ever since I care to remember," remarked the 68-year-old, who is currently one of the vice presidents of the world governing body and had served two terms on its executive council before that. Earlier this month, Sumariwalla had confirmed his candidature for the top job, while the other candidates in the fray as of now are two other vice presidents: Raul Chapado Serrano, president of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation, and former athlete Ximena Restrepo of Colombia.

Speaking to National Herald in an exclusive interview over the phone, the plain-speaking Sumariwalla said it would be too early to comment on his chances, with the elections due in August next year ahead of the World Athletics Championships in China.

"If I am elected, it could be a big feather in India’s cap as we are only second to FIFA in terms of strength of member countries, with 215 of them on board, as well as the No. 1 Olympic sport. You see, I have had two terms as World Athletics Council member and one as the vice president. I have all the qualifications, be it educational, experience or in business, and have got what it takes," said the former long-serving president of the Athletics Federation of India.

While there is no doubting his credentials, elections to sporting bodies of this magnitude always boil down to a game of numbers. Significantly, two major voting blocs come from Asia (45) and Africa (56), accounting for nearly 50 per cent of the votes, while the rest are from traditional powerhouse Europe (50), North America (31), South America (13) and Oceania (20).

The clout of athletics as the showstopper of the Olympics is undeniable, and the sport has been proactive enough in recent years to experiment with formats — along with its marquee events like the biennial World Athletics Championships, Diamond League as well as the junior events.

Asked how Sumariwalla would set his agenda in case he comes to power, he said his top priority would be to boost the financial health of the global body.

"If you ask me, my priority will be on how to monetise our products better — for that’s one of my areas of expertise. We have to see how to make the Diamond Leagues stronger and introduce new formats, as these are some of the things that I have proved myself in the Indian context.

"We have done some great work under Lord Seb in terms of governance as well as with the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). The idea will be to build on from there and take the sport forward," he observed.

Sumariwalla, the seniormost among the three presidential candidates in the fray, has completed a maximum of three terms on the executive council and will be entitled to two terms as president in case he is elected. Both his rivals, Raul Chapado Serrano and Ximena Restrepo, still have another term to go and there could be other nominations till the beginning of the election year.

"I thought it’s better to announce my nomination early so that I can campaign and talk to people. I see this role as a logical progression in case it comes to me," he said.

Expanding on the scope of the role, Sumariwalla said: "I have a 360-degree experience as I have worked in all areas of the sport — be it in kids’ athletics, coaches’ education, technical officials’ education, finance, audit, risk, while I have been the chair of strategic communication for the world body, age manipulation as well as gender leadership.

"When I came to administration in India, I graduated from the ranks — from districts to state, then national level and finally the world body since 2015. I am in constant touch with the 650-odd districts of the country and hence, I am in a position to easily empathise with the problems and needs of even a small African country. These are certainly my areas of strength," he signed off.