ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on David Burghley’s successor leading the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the Dutchman Adriaan Paulen. Despite having the shortest stint of any of the IAAF presidents, a mere five years, there was no shortage of controversial issues for Paulen. He controversially included the People’s Republic of China (PRC) into the global athletics movement, pushed for the organisation of world championships, brought sponsors on board, installed the IAAF’s Court of Appeal, and arranged for the IAAF to join the General Assembly of International Sport Federations, thus ending a decades-long dispute. Paulen also oversaw the IAAF’s transition from an old-fashioned amateur body to a commercially driven organisation and, like his predecessors, Paulen appeared reticent to loosen his grip on any of his presidential powers.
