World Athletics wants to introduce World Treadmill Championships to promote virtual running
World Athletics is considering creating a World Treadmill Championships in their latest attempt to grow the sport.
Seb Coe's international governing body is close to signing a partnership with a technology company to 'develop the virtual running scene'.
It could lead to athletics following sports like rowing and cycling in having a global event for participants on indoor 'gym' equipment.
'There are millions of people around the world that just go to the gym and run on the treadmill,' World Athletics chief executive Jon Ridgeon told Mail Sport.
'We should create products for those people. We should have a Treadmill World Championships.
'You are an athlete if you go for a 30-minute run on a treadmill or if you win an Olympic gold medal in the 100 metres. It is all athletics.
'We are working it out at the moment. We will be announcing a tech partner that we are going to work with to develop the virtual running scene.'
Asked about the prospect of a World Treadmill Championships, World Athletics president Coe said: 'You might have to watch this space, but ultimately, why not?
'We have to embrace and we have got to take our sport to where people are. That is crucial.
'Whether it is through virtual, whether it is through Esports, whether it is through treadmill, these are all the things that we want to explore.'
In rowing, a World Indoor Championships was launched in 2018, with competitors using rowing machines, also known as ergometers.
Mail Sport reported last year that the International Olympic Committee would welcome virtual versions of existing Olympic sports becoming medal disciplines if they are physical, like the treadmill.
'Where there is a full physical replication of the traditional sport, the door is open, and we are governed by the respective international federations,' said Kit McConnell, the IOC's sports director.
Esports is unlikely to become its standalone sport at the Olympics soon, but the first Olympic Esports Games is being held in Saudi Arabia next year.
The sports for the programme are yet to be announced, but cycling was part of last year's Olympic Esports Week test event in Singapore.
