ESEI Sports Speaker Series : Session 2 – Covid-19 and the fate of Sporting Mega Events

Session 2 – Covid-19 and the fate of Sporting Mega Events

Interviewer: Frank Hendrickx

Interviewee:Jakob Larsen, Director of Competitions and Events at World Athletics

Interviewee profile:Interviewee profile: Jakob Larsen is the director of competitions & events at World Athletics, a position he undertook in April 2020. Prior to joining World Athletics, he was CEO of the Danish Athletic Federation, a position he had held since 2007. Jakob also served as the Director of the 2014 World Half Marathon Championships as well as the 2019 World Athletics Cross Country Championships. As the race director of the annual World Athletics Gold Label Race (the ‘Copenhagen Half Marathon’), the ‘Royal Run,’ and other road running events, he oversaw event operations with more than 200,000 entries per year. With 10 years of experience as a TV Color Analyst, a background in scientific research and coaching, as well as a 3 year stint managing the national High-Performance athletics programme, Jakob Larsen has a broad and rich understanding of international athletics.

In this session with ESEI’s Sport Series host Frank Hendrickx and Jakob Larsen, Director of Competitions and Events at World Athletics, we will have a close look at the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the organization of sporting mega events across the globe, with a special focus on Athletics, the most participated-in sport in the world. Some questions considered are: What is the real impact of the postponement of Tokyo 2020? How will the event organizers of thousands of running races in the world overcome this crisis? What are the mental health implications for athletes? How is grassroots development affected in Athletics? What does the future look like for the sport? Tune in to hear these topics explored and many more.

Friday July 3rd, 2020 : 3pm – 4.30pm45 minutes interview then 45 minutes Q&A