Olympic ties and a 40-year friendship united several titans of sports in Serbia as IMMAF (International Mixed Martial Arts Federation) president Kerrith Brown and IMMAF CEO Densign White met with Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, and World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon in Belgrade, as both the IMMAF and World Athletics prepared to oversee an intense day of competitions within their chosen fields last Saturday.
Having won Olympic medals in Los Angeles-84, both Mr. Brown and Mr. Coe have a life of service to sport, first as athletes representing Great Britain, and now behind the scenes. Mr. White and Mr. Ridgeon have also left impressive marks in their sports, with Densign having represented Great Britain in Judo in three Olympic Games, and Jon winning a silver medal in the 110m hurdles at the 1987 World Championships.
Alongside Densign White, judo Olympic bronze medalist Mr. Brown is in town as the IMMAF, in association with the Serbian MMA Federation, is hosting the IMMAF European Championships, which features for the first time a Youth tournament as part of the proceedings. Sebastian Coe, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in 1,500m running, is also in town overseeing an important tournament under the World Athletics umbrella, the 2024 World Athletics Cross-Country Championships.
‘’We’ve crossed paths many times over the last 40 years, but it’s always a treat when we get to speak with great people like Seb Coe and Jon Ridgeon and talk about the past, but also talk about the future. It was great to be invited to join Seb and Jon at the Cross-Country Championships as we got to see the development they have helped put in place. We look forward to crossing paths with both again very soon’’, said IMMAF president Kerrith Brown.
The IMMAF European Championships kicked off on March 30 with the first Youth continental tournament before wrapping up on April 6, with the Senior finals. The 2024 World Athletics Cross-Country Championships took place in Belgrade last Saturday, March 30, at the Park of Friendship.
