World Athletics has officially replaced the International Association of Athletics Federations as the sport's governing body ©World Athletics

World Athletics has been officially adopted as the new name of the sport's international governing body.

The most visible sign of the change is the launch of a new website with a new URL. 

A proposal to change the name of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to World Athletics was officially approved by the governing body's Congress in Doha in October.

The name change, originally proposed by the IAAF Council in June, had been suggested in a bid to make the sport more accessible.

The IAAF was founded in 1912 as the International Amateur Athletic Federation, but changed its name to the International Association of Athletics Federations in 2001 to reflect the non-amateur status of top competitors.

Adille Sumariwalla, the Indian who heads the IAAF Strategic Communications Advisory Group, had told the Congress that the decision to change the name was required to keep pace with the changing media landscape.

A new logo, consisting of three main elements, has already been launched to support the name-change.

The "W" of World is a symbol of an athlete's arms raised in victory, while the "A" of Athletics represents an athlete's focus as they prepare for the road ahead.

The most visible sign of the name change so far is the launch of a new website with a new URL ©World Athletics
The most visible sign of the name change so far is the launch of a new website with a new URL ©World Athletics

The arc over both letters represents the entire athletics community coming together.

A running track also appears in an upward trajectory, symbolising the desire to continually push beyond limits. 

The patterns capture the energy present in all four of athletics' group disciplines, which are running, jumping, throwing and walking. 

The IAAF claims the rebrand builds upon the organisation's restructuring and governance reform agenda to represent a modern, creative and positive face for the sport, while breaking away from the past.  

The IAAF has been embroiled in scandal almost since Sebastian Coe was first elected President in August 2015, following the arrest of predecessor Lamine Diack on allegations of corruption and helping Russian athletes avoid suspensions after failing drugs tests.

In addition, Russia has been banned from international competition since November 2015, after being found guilty of state-sponsored doping.

A decision on whether to lift the ban is due to be discussed at the next World Athletics Council meeting in Monte Carlo on November 22.

The following day, the World Athletics Awards will honour the leading athletes from 2019.