MPPSC 2019 Prelims Q65: The headquarters of IAAF is situated

Q: What is the answer to MPPSC 2019 Prelims Q65?

D. Correct — D, Monaco. The IAAF — the International Association of Athletics Federations, the world governing body for athletics (track and field) — has its headquarters in Monaco (Monte Carlo). In 2019 it was rebranded 'World Athletics', but the headquarters remain in Monaco.

MPPSC 2019 Prelims Paper-I · Question 65 of 99

Verified against the official question paper. Answer as per the official MPPSC answer key.

The headquarters of IAAF is situated in

(a)Switzerland
(b)South Africa
(c)Germany
(d)Monaco

Answer

Why

Correct — D, Monaco. The IAAF — the International Association of Athletics Federations, the world governing body for athletics (track and field) — has its headquarters in Monaco (Monte Carlo). In 2019 it was rebranded 'World Athletics', but the headquarters remain in Monaco.

Why the others are wrong

(a)Switzerland — A tempting trap — many sports bodies sit in Switzerland (the IOC in Lausanne, FIFA in Zurich), but the IAAF / World Athletics is in Monaco, not Switzerland.
(b)South Africa — No global athletics governing body is headquartered here.
(c)Germany — Not the IAAF's seat — its headquarters is in Monaco.

Concept

The IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations), founded in 1912, governs world athletics — the Olympics' track-and-field and marathon events and the World Athletics Championships. Its headquarters is in Monaco. It was renamed 'World Athletics' in 2019.

The trap is Switzerland, home to the IOC (Lausanne) and FIFA (Zurich). Learn the odd-one-out: athletics' world body is in Monaco, not Switzerland.

Key facts

IAAF = International Association of Athletics Federations; headquarters in Monaco
Renamed 'World Athletics' in 2019
Governs athletics (track and field) worldwide and the World Athletics Championships
Contrast: IOC headquarters = Lausanne, Switzerland; FIFA headquarters = Zurich, Switzerland

Study next

Headquarters of major sports bodies — IOC (Lausanne), FIFA (Zurich), ICC (Dubai)The 2019 IAAF → World Athletics rebrandingWorld Athletics Championships vs the Diamond LeagueAthletics events at the Olympic GamesIndia's athletics milestones (Neeraj Chopra)

Common traps

Defaulting to Switzerland for any sports body — the IAAF is in Monaco
Confusing the IAAF (athletics) with the IOC (Olympics)

A static-GK favourite: 'headquarters of organisation X'. Keep a table of sports-body headquarters (IOC, FIFA, IAAF/World Athletics, ICC).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
In 2019 the IAAF was renamed to:
- (a)World Athletics
- (b)Global Track & Field
- (c)International Athletics Union
- (d)Athletics International
Answer(a) World Athletics.
practice — not a real PYQ
The headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is located in:
- (a)Monaco
- (b)Lausanne, Switzerland
- (c)Zurich, Switzerland
- (d)Paris
Answer(b) Lausanne, Switzerland.