The two-time Olympic 1500 metres champion will be the key-note speaker at the conference entitled "Athletics for New Generations" to be held in the Norwegian capital between December 5-7.

 

Coe, who is also a vice president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and a member of its School and Youth Commission, will speak about his personal experience in the sport and how he would like to get more youngsters involved in the sport.

 

Coe, whose career really took off in Oslo in 1979 when he set world records there for the 800m and mile, is passionate about using the 2012 Olympics to help get more children involved in sport.

 

The conference, which is expected to attract more than 100 federation leaders, youth programme managers and coaches from Europe and around the world will address three main themes:

 

They are:

 

· Engagement and Retention

 

· Talent identification

 

· Development and "Towards a European Strategy for Youth Athletics"

The programme will include presentations, workshops and group discussions.

 

Other expert speakers will be added in the coming weeks. 

 

There will also be a demonstration of the IAAF's Kids Athletics Programme by teams of school children from the Oslo area.

For a preliminary conference programme, click here.