Athletics Governance Needs a Complete Revolution Before 2028 Olympics

World Athletics has made genuine progress under its current leadership — increased prize money, enhanced broadcasting, and greater athlete representation. But these improvements are built on governance foundations that remain fundamentally flawed, and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics will expose these weaknesses to the sport's largest audience.

World Athletics operates with a governance structure designed for a different era. National federation voting power bears no relationship to athletic development, competitive quality, or financial contribution. Continental associations wield outsized influence in elections. And the organization's decision-making processes remain opaque to the athletes and fans it ostensibly serves.

Despite the creation of athlete committees, genuine athlete influence on major decisions remains limited. Athletes can advise but not decide on issues directly affecting their careers: competition formats, prize money distribution, doping sanctions, and eligibility rules. The athlete voice is consulted, occasionally acknowledged, and frequently overridden by institutional priorities.

Genuine governance reform would restructure World Athletics fundamentally:

The Los Angeles Olympics will place athletics under global scrutiny. If the sport arrives in 2028 with the same governance weaknesses, the same doping concerns, and the same athlete welfare issues, the scrutiny will be devastating. Athletics has two years to demonstrate that its governance matches its athletes' excellence. The clock is running, and the sport isn't fast enough.