More important than 2012 when London staged the Olympic and Paralympic Games, this year presents an opportunity for the sport to take centre stage and generate new levels of popular support when the World Championships are staged in London.

And, boy, does the sport need a great London 2017.

Having inherited one holy mess, IAAF President Seb Coe has taken the tough decisions to take the sport forward.

Whatever your view of Seb, you have to accept that he has shown true leadership when required.

Can you imagine the pressure of taking a decision to ban Russia from your sport?

Thomas Bach and IOC failed to follow the IAAF’s lead in banning Russia from global competition year in Rio and, as a result, the fight against anti-doping was weakened.

In a global fight against doping across all sports (yes – all sports. Let’s not be naïve, where sport and money meet, people will try to gain an advantage), athletics should be recognised for addressing the issues and trying to deal with them.

There is no question that athletics has had a tough time of it over the past 12 months – and let’s not pretend that it doesn’t still have issues to deal with – however, the World Championships in London will see the best of what the sport has to offer.

Packed stadiums, Bolt’s retirement, Mo going for Gold again, stunning performances, new stars, new heroes.

With over half a million tickets sold, the public appetite to see athletics live is greater than ever – and for the global sport of athletics, it must capitalise on its London showcase.