The leadership behind World Athletics wants the sport to stand with football and Formula One, yet even insiders accept the journey will take time and relentless reinvention.
A Night in Tokyo Reveals the Tension Beneath the Optimism
It’s almost midnight in Tokyo. Usain Bolt is at the DJ booth, coaxing the room into a late-night frenzy. And there, in the middle of the noise, World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon decides it’s the perfect moment to tell a reporter he disagrees with a major column about his sport’s relevance.
The setting is surreal. Ridgeon, known for being calm and measured, leans in politely but firmly. He insists the criticism felt one-sided. The music grows louder. The conversation shifts outside. And suddenly, the debate about where track and field stands in the entertainment economy becomes real, personal, and oddly energizing.
One small sentence captures the mood.
He was annoyed, but thoughtful.
The discussion carries on through the weekend. By then, both sides drop their guard and start picking apart why the sport’s supporters feel excited — but also why casual fans sometimes drift away.
Ridgeon Argues the Sport Is Growing Faster Than Critics Think
Ridgeon wastes no time laying out numbers he believes matter more than opinions.
He says World Athletics’ income has risen roughly 25% over the past few years. Host cities are lining up for major meets again. And the 2025 event in Tokyo was the most-watched sporting event in the world that year, according to the federation.
“On any metric — global television audience, media audience, social media audience, income — it is growing,” he says. His voice is steady. There’s a quiet confidence behind it.
He continues, noting that many assumed Generation Z would remain indifferent to a sport rooted in tradition. But digital traction says otherwise. During the Tokyo championships, World Athletics registered 700 million video views across its platforms — double the audience from Budapest two years earlier.
A short paragraph fits here:
That number startled even some skeptics.
And yet, Ridgeon also knows the critics raise important questions. Growth at the Olympics is one thing. Growth on a random weekend in March is something else entirely.
The Visibility Problem Between Big Events
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Track and field soars during the Olympics. The magic is undeniable. Stadiums fill. Stars emerge. Performances go viral.
But the moment the flame goes out, interest cools far too quickly. That’s the stubborn challenge.
Athletes such as Mondo Duplantis can vault at heights that look superhuman. Sebastian Sawe can maintain a pace most runners can’t match for a mile, let alone a marathon. But people need proximity to grasp the scale of these feats. Watching a pole vaulter clear a bar on television doesn’t always deliver the same jolt as seeing it up close.
One sentence stands alone because it matters:
The wow factor doesn’t always translate through screens.
This creates friction for a sport that wants weekly or monthly engagement — not a four-year spike followed by long silence.
The Push to Reach Younger Fans
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World Athletics is trying to break old habits. Some experiments land well; others fall flat. But the federation at least recognizes that doing nothing is not an option.
Ridgeon notes that younger viewers respond more to personality-driven coverage than traditional meet structures. They want backstage content, quick highlights, and formats that don’t require tracking dozens of heats.
One small paragraph drops in:
He knows attention spans are shorter.
To reach those fans, the Ultimate Championships in Tokyo leaned into music, digital storytelling, and fast-paced formats. It wasn’t perfect, but it signaled a shift that track insiders have been waiting for — a willingness to take risks, even if purists grumble.
And because the federation feels bolder than it did five years ago, there’s cautious optimism that this generation may connect with the sport in ways earlier efforts never achieved.
A Sport Competing With Giants
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Ridgeon sees the task clearly. Track and field isn’t fighting with small leagues. It’s going head-to-head with global entertainment machines. Football dominates continents. Formula One turned Netflix fame into a worldwide surge. Even sports that once seemed niche have carved out younger audiences.
Track and field wants a seat at that same table.
Here’s the challenge, laid out in one simple line before the bullet:
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The sport needs consistency, not just spectacular peaks.
Right now, its biggest moments still revolve around the Olympics and world championships. Everything outside those windows struggles to command attention.
The federation has started reshaping the calendar, adjusting broadcast windows, and introducing events aimed at showcasing stars in tighter formats. But turning a sport built on tradition into a year-round entertainment product requires patience — and a willingness to break models that have been in place for decades.
Where Things Stand After Ridgeon’s Pushback
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The debate between Ridgeon and his critic ends without bitterness. In fact, both admit the other has a point. Ridgeon concedes that track and field still needs to do more to stay relevant year-round. The reporter acknowledges he should have highlighted the federation’s progress more than he did.
It’s a rare exchange in a sports landscape usually filled with defensive posturing.
One sentence appears alone here.
Ridgeon cares deeply about where the sport is headed.
His annoyance wasn’t about ego. It was about urgency. Track and field believes it has moved faster than the public realizes. And maybe, in some ways, it has.
But the climb ahead remains steep. Fans expect more behind-the-scenes access. They expect clearer formats. They expect stars to be visible even when medals aren’t on the line.
The sport knows all this. And that awareness might be its strongest asset.
