Bolt

MONTE-CARLO (CMC):

Lamine Diack has two reasons he is eagerly looking forward to a meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge.

The president of the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) wants to remind Rogge about the key role that the sport plays in the Olympics and to challenge him about the legacy use of the Olympic Stadium after London 2012.

"As we head towards our annual World Athletics Gala on November 23, I think this is the right time to celebrate this year of athletics, but in particular, the rightful status of athletics at the summer Olympic Games," Diack said in a strongly worded statement appearing on the IAAF's website.

Diack acknowledged that he, like many people, was surprised to hear Rogge condemn Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt for "show-boating and showing a lack of respect for his rivals" after his world record in the final of the men's 100 metres.

"We live in a time when Olympic sports are struggling to remain attractive to young people, when we all need to make sport exciting and relevant to them," he said.

"Since we need to create heroes that young people identify with, why criticise the behaviour of a young man who is instantly and completely appealing to young people?

exuberance

"Usain's three gold medals and world records, in a sport where a world record does still mean something, and his exuberance and uninhibited pleasure in victory, helped Usain transcend sport and become, during the Games, a truly global icon and a genuine role model for youngsters who may not find Olympic sport that exciting."

Diack also took issue with recent comments from the IOC president about the Olympic Stadium to be constructed for the 2012 Games in London.

Rogge felt that Olympic organisers should avoid leaving 'white elephants' and if the best solution is to transform the stadium into something that serves other sports, then he would be in favour of it.

"As the leader of the world governing body for athletics, I think this shows a lack of respect for my sport," Senegalese Diack said.

"As an IOC member myself, I voted for the host city for the 2012 Games and obviously, one of the most compelling arguments in favour of London was the fact that the city desperately needed a world-class venue for athletics.

"A country like Great Britain, with its magnificent tradition in our sport and a great future ahead of it, surely must be entitled to have a decent athletics stadium in its capital city?

"A promise was made and I believe it is totally reasonable to expect that the most important sport of the summer Olympics, which is athletics, gets to live on after the three-week period of the Games is over."

Diack also condemned Rogge uses of the Atlanta Olympic Stadium as the example that the British should follow.

Following the 1996 Olympics, the stadium was transformed into a baseball diamond for the Atlanta Braves franchise which the IAAF president described as 'a source of great disappointment'.

"The fact that the site of magnificent athletics' performances such as Carl Lewis" last Olympic long jump gold medal, or Michael Johnson's amazing double at 200m and 400m is no longer able to host athletics - is no longer a source of pride or inspiration for young athletes - but is instead a bargain venue for professional baseball is nothing to be proud of at all," Diack said.

"Today, believe it or not, the United States does not have a single venue capable of hosting an IAAF World Championships in athletics. There is simply no stadium - but we have had Olympic Games in Los Angeles and in Atlanta - yet in the end, they were simply handed over to professional sports and as a result, Olympic sports lose out."