World Athletics President Seb Coe says the producers of the new Athletics’ Drive to Survive’ like documentary were ‘shocked’ by the sport’s global appeal.
Camera crews began following athletes at the start of last season and have behind-the-scenes access to several significant meets, including the World Athletics Championship in Budapest and the London Diamond League.
Coe hopes the series will help to grow interest in the sport in a similar way that Netflix’s Drive to Survive series has increased the popularity of Formula One, particularly among young people.
“I think they were genuinely shocked by the global nature of our sport,” said Coe.
“They were sending film crews to all four corners of the globe. Those 100-metre runners are not from half a dozen countries.”
“Any number of those documentaries have been really good. Obviously, people talk about Drive to Survive, and we know the impact that had in the US.”
“I’ve got friends in the US that wouldn’t have known what Formula One was and now they are often building the early hours of their day around watching it because of Drive to Survive.”
The six-part series will feature Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith and will air in 2024.
Coe also revealed that World Athletics is already conversing with Netflix over a future extension to the series.
