ABSTRACT
There were a handful of IAAF officials, notably all men, arguing widely about election campaign promises, the impact of civil wars on decision-making processes on the African continent, and, most notably, a young South African woman from a small village in the Limpopo province. Instead, it analyses the development and change of IAAF policies over time, by systematically showing how the federation's leaders, its "kings", have strongly shaped contemporary policy-making with dramatic effects for the sporting experiences of participants. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the IAAF’s founding in the early twentieth century amidst increased efforts to institutionalise international relations. It focuses on the presidency of David Burghley between 1946 and 1976. The book outlines the main transformation period of the IAAF, initiated under Adriaan Paulen and implemented on a grand scale by Primo Nebiolo.
