Abstract
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is the governing body for international track and field athletics. It spends around 25% of its budget ‘developing’ athletics through its Regional Development Centres (RDCs) that service the Third World. We argue that the IAAF is engaging in classic Western development rhetoric, epitomized by neo-liberal modernization theories of development. Embedded in the IAAF's ‘good work’ are less worthy aims, including guaranteeing the supply of athletes to the West, the development and maintenance of associated television coverage of the sport, and the creation of spaces for transnational companies, through rights and sponsorship, to penetrate Third World markets. Further, athletic success is tied to wealth, and the IAAF programmes offer little offset to the immense disadvantage that the developing world experiences. The IAAF is endeavouring to construct a singular, culturally homogenized sport by imposing its systems. This article opens the academic debate on the IAAF by critically exploring the role it plays in ‘developing’ athletics for sponsors and audiences in Third World countries.
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