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The IAAF has a grand vision for the future of athletics.
As it approaches its centenary year in 2012, the IAAF's bold plan is to establish athletics as a global phenomenon that not only entertains and inspires but also encourages healthy lifestyles right round the planet.
This ambitious strategy, detailed in the Athletics World Plan, is already well underway and the benefits are starting to be reaped.
This Plan is designed to determine the direction which the sport of athletics should take and provides a universal framework that can be applied in every country on every continent.
The Plan has several main aims, notably to establish athletics as the main participatory sport in schools worldwide, provide everyone with the opportunity to take part, to improve access to, and the quality of athletics facilities and equipment, and ensure the long-term financial security of the sport.
Since the Plan was first unveiled in 2003, considerable progress has been achieved in all areas.
The World Keeps Running, which aims to promote health and fitness through running, is one example of how the IAAF is making athletics accessible to more people.
What's more, it is just one element of a multi-layered approach designed to facilitate success.
Every area federation and country association is participating in making the aims of the Plan become a reality, often working with governments, local councils and other interested bodies to bring about wholesale changes that are having a big impact on people's lives.
Stadia are being built and improved and training facilities both updated and created to help elite athletes, grassroots participants and spectators alike get more out of athletics.
Hundreds of schemes are up and running worldwide.
And the elite athletes - both past and present - are doing their bit to encourage wider participation.
One such initiative that is building for the future is the Norwich Union shine:awards, run by UK Athletics as part of the build up to the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Numerous track and field stars, such as Roger Black, Mark Lewis-Francis and Tim Benjamin, are involved in the scheme, which is designed to help those of all abilities and get children having fun in a range of different athletic events.
Another popular mass participation scheme in the UK is star:track, which also utilizes world-class athletes and coaches in a touring roadshow event that travels countrywide.
One star athlete who has benefited from the scheme is British heptathlete Jessica Ennis, who won gold at the World Championships in Berlin in 2009.
She acknowledges that the help and support she received from established athletes when she was still a schoolgirl proved invaluable and encouraged her to continue.
Similar schemes are already up and running in many other countries with the goal of introducing more youngsters to athletics while further encouraging and motivating those already involved.
The key element of many schemes is the involvement and support of athletics' superstars.
The World Keeps Running is no exception.
Elite athletes such as Haile Gebrselassie, Allyson Felix, Joanna Hayes and Benita Johnson not only provide a wealth of experience and personal know-how but also inspire and influence.
As we move towards the IAAF centenary in 2012, it is the elites who are there to support and motivated mass participation in initiatives like The World Keeps Running and help the world to get healthier and fitter in the process.
