'Cricket is India's religion, but...'

World Athletics boss Sebastian Coe is quite aware that cricket is nothing short of "religion" in India but he feels it shouldn't be viewed as a "roadblock" for other sports, which can challenge its dominance by producing trailblazers like javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra to capture the public imagination.

Coe, one of the candidates for next year's International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidential elections, has been in the country for the past two days, meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya among others to discuss the growth potential of Indian sports.

Expressing faith in the country's potential to become a powerhouse, the four-time Olympic medal-winning former middle distance runner said, "When you have an Indian athlete winning Olympic titles and world championships, then you are in good shape."

"When you have athletes of the calibre and high profile of Neeraj, then you can actually mount a very good challenge to other sports. And look, we know the national religion is cricket," he stated in a telephonic interview with PTI on Wednesday.

"It's really important that India have athletes that capture the imagination of the public, ultimately the broadcasters. And Neeraj does both," added Coe, who also headed the 2012 London Olympics bid.
Chopra won an unprecedented track-and-field gold in the Tokyo Olympics before adding a silver to his kitty in Paris this year making him an all-time great in Indian sports at a mere 26 years of age.

Cricket not a roadblock for other sports

Cricket enjoys massive following in India but Coe said it is not a roadblock for others and they should find innovative and creative ways to gain popularity.

"It (cricket) shouldn't be (a roadblock), because every country has sports that are dominant. It would be like saying in the UK, well, football is an inhibitor for track and field. We have one of the best track and field teams in the UK that we've had for many years," the 68-year-old Coe said.

"You have to live with what you have to live with. And you can't just sit there saying, well, India, the cricket or football or rugby or wherever these sports are really strong. You sort of give up, you don't."

"You have to be more innovative, more creative. The sporting landscape is very competitive. Cricket is a very dominant sport in India. I watch it all the time," said the long-time administrator, whose grandfather was an Indian (hotlier Sardari Lal Malhotra).

'Dialogue with PM a private conversation'

India's Olympic performance at this year's Paris Games was underwhelming for a billion-strong country with six medals, none of them being gold.

The nation is now aiming to host the quadrennial showpiece in 2036 and has submitted a letter of intent to the IOC. The bid is being backed by PM Modi, whom Coe met on Monday.

"I'm not going to divulge a private conversation. But we talked about the importance of big events in India. He was very clear that big events promote not just better competition, but have a broader societal impact, particularly on the health, mental and physical of young people" Coe said.

"And he (PM) is obviously very keen for more events to come to India and was particularly encouraging of the Indian athletics federation (AFI) to bid for more of our events," he added.

With World Athletics Ultimate Championship (WAUC) set to outshine all global athletics events in terms of star cast and record-setting prize money of USD 10 million starting 2026, Coe said India could joint the bidding process. Budapest has been chosen as the venue for the inaugural event.

"I sincerely hope so (India can aspire to host the event). But look, we have a bidding process, which we actively encourage all our federations that love athletics and have the capacity to deliver those events, to want to bid for them."

"So, World Athletics is open for business and India is a very important market for us," he said.

Coe said the idea of giving USD 50,000 to gold-winning track and field athletes at the Paris Olympics was driven by a desire to provide them financial security.

"Look, there was nothing new in what we announced. And it's certainly been my philosophy for the best part of 45-50 years. I've always believed that the welfare of the athletes isn't just about mental and physical."

"It's also about giving them some financial security. So look, the decision we made was a decision that is in line with our prize money policies in the sport. I have to say that it's been welcomed by our athletes.

'Protecting women's sport is non-negotiable'

The participation of trans-gender athletes in women's sports events has become an increasingly contentious issue with the IOC drawing flak for allowing this to happen. WA, under Coe, has maintained a strictly-women stance, a decision criticised by trans-rights advocates.

"You know my position. It's very clear. It's very much in the public domain...for me, protecting the female category, protecting women's sport is non-negotiable."

"And at World Athletics, we have very clear cut policies that make that declaration of intent very clear."