Athletics chief endorsed by IAAF officials

Athletics president Go Teng Kok yesterday received a positive endorsement from IAAF officials in his quest for one of the 26 council seats of the influential world athletics governing body.

Go is in Birmingham, England attending the World Indoor Championships since March 13. Yesterday, the Patafa president was officially included in the five-man Asian candidates list that has been favorably suggested by no other than the IAAF secretary general Istvan Gyulai of Hungary.

Go said that Gyulai welcomed the Filipino’s inclusion in the five-man Asian roster which is expected to be fully backed by the 44-member Asian Athletics Association.

"I heard you have been doing great for Asian athletics and you deserve to be in the IAAF council," Go quoted Gyulai as saying, during their encounter in the IAAF Congress where all the 210 membership was present.

Aside from Go, other Asians running for seats in the powerful IAAF council were re-electionists Asian athletics president Shri Suresh Kalmaadi of India and Japan’s Taizo Watanabe, China’s Lou Dapeng and Qatar’s Sheik Khalid Bin Thani Al-Thani.

According to Go, Gyulai cited the united front Asian candidates have displayed in the past.