IAAF Launches New Website

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) have launched a new website developed by Haymarket Network this week. 

The new site www.iaaf.org marks the centenary celebrations of the IAAF and offers the visitor a brighter, ailment more visual experience and a raft of new features and functionality that opens up the IAAF’s immense statistical database of results, records and lists for the first time. 

The site also allows the user to search the IAAF’s 25,000 news stories, almost 100,000 athletes and includes a new Disciplines section that allows fans to discover more about the various elements of the sport. 

Haymarket said in a statement: “Our aim was to create a site that made athletics accessible to everyone. We wanted new fans to be able to explore the site and learn about the sport as well as delivering a must-visit site for existing fans, athletes and administrators. To do that we had to bring the athletes and the disciplines to life with pages of editorial, stories, news and information that was easy to access. We also needed to open up the incredible statistical database that was sitting unseen within the IAAF, publish results for all IAAF sanctioned events, not just major events and create 16 rolling hub site for all major IAAF sanctioned competitions. 

“The main challenge was in delivering the database in a dynamic format for the first time. We utilised the latest technologies including MongoDB to allow us to bring the data to life and deliver results and stats incredibly quickly. 

“We also designed and built a bespoke content management system to enable the IAAF to manage the site internally going forward, something that was not possible before. 

“As we move towards the IAAF World Championships in Moscow in August 2013 we will add more functionality and improve further what we think is already a great user experience.”

IAAF Deputy General Secretary/Communications Director Nick Davies was the driving force behind the project. “Haymarket Network has delivered a fantastic site that challenges the traditional idea of what a global sport governing body website should be,” he said. “It has a fresh and vibrant look that brings the energy and atmosphere of athletics to life online. Perhaps most importantly it enables us to publish our results and stats database dynamically for the first time and gives us the flexibility to manage the site going forward.”

Haymarket Network Director of Sport Cormac Bourne is already looking forward to the future. “We are incredibly proud to have worked on such a prestigious project for the IAAF. They believed in Haymarket Networks technical abilities and creative thinking and we have delivered a world class site. Now we’re looking forward to working together with the IAAF to deliver a mobile version of the site.”