The IAAF Hall of Fame was established by the International Association of Athletics Federations (since 2019: World Athletics) in 2012. It is intended to honor individuals who have made valuable contributions in the sport of athletics both internationally and in their home countries that match certain criteria. [1] [2] [3]
The inaugural class, composed of 24 individuals, was introduced in November 2012.
The minimum criteria for an athlete to qualify for membership of the Hall of Fame are:
These criteria may be extended in 2013 to allow athletes whose achievements had an extraordinary impact on the sport to be considered as well. [4]
These are the 48 members as of 21 November 2014.
| Athlete | Nation | Speciality | Date of induction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iolanda Balaș |  Romania | High jump | 13 November 2012 | [5] |
| Abebe Bikila |  Ethiopia | Long-distance running | 8 March 2012 | [6] |
| Fanny Blankers-Koen |  Netherlands | Sprint | 8 March 2012 | [7] |
| Sergey Bubka |  Soviet Union /  Ukraine | Pole vault | 25 June 2012 | [8] |
| Sebastian Coe |  United Kingdom | Middle-distance running | 25 June 2012 | [9] |
| Betty Cuthbert |  Australia | Sprint | 8 March 2012 | [10] |
| Babe Didrikson Zaharias |  United States | Sprint, javelin, high jump | 6 June 2012 | [11] |
| Volodymyr Holubnychy | Soviet Union / Ukraine | Race walk | 15 October 2012 | [12] |
| Michael Johnson | United States | Sprint | 6 June 2012 | [13] |
| Jackie Joyner-Kersee | United States | Multi events | 8 March 2012 | [14] |
| Alberto Juantorena |  Cuba | 400 m, 800 m | 11 June 2012 | [15] |
| Wang Junxia |  China | Long-distance running | 8 March 2012 | [16] |
| Kipchoge Keino |  Kenya | Long-distance running | 2 July 2012 | [17] |
| Stefka Kostadinova |  Bulgaria | High jump | 13 November 2012 | [18] |
| Carl Lewis | United States | Sprint, Long Jump | 8 March 2012 | [19] |
| Edwin Moses | United States | 400 m hurdles | 8 March 2012 | [20] |
| Paavo Nurmi |  Finland | Long-distance running | 8 March 2012 | [21] |
| Dan O'Brien | United States | Multi events | 6 June 2012 | [22] |
| Al Oerter | United States | Discus throw | 8 March 2012 | [23] |
| Jesse Owens | United States | Sprint, Long Jump | 8 March 2012 | [24] |
| Peter Snell |  New Zealand | Middle-distance running | 3 September 2012 | [25] |
| Adhemar da Silva |  Brazil | Triple jump | 8 March 2012 | [26] |
| Irena Szewińska |  Poland | Sprint | 17 May 2012 | [27] |
| Emil Zátopek |  Czechoslovakia | Long-distance running | 8 March 2012 | [28] |
| Harrison Dillard | United States | 100 m, 110 m hurdles | 16 November 2013 | [29] |
| Marjorie Jackson | Australia | Sprint | 16 November 2013 | [29] |
| Hannes Kolehmainen | Finland | Long-distance running | 16 November 2013 | [29] |
| Natalya Lisovskaya | Soviet Union /  Russia | Shot put | 16 November 2013 | [29] |
| Svetlana Masterkova | Russia | Middle-distance running | 16 November 2013 | [29] |
| Noureddine Morceli |  Algeria | Middle-distance running | 16 November 2013 | [29] |
| Parry O'Brien | United States | Shot put | 16 November 2013 | [29] |
| Marie-José Pérec |  France | Sprint | 16 November 2013 | [29] |
| Viktor Saneyev | Soviet Union /  Georgia | Triple jump | 16 November 2013 | [29] |
| Yuriy Sedykh | Soviet Union / Russia | Hammer throw | 16 November 2013 | [29] |
| Daley Thompson | United Kingdom | Décathlon | 16 November 2013 | [29] |
| Grete Waitz |  Norway | Marathon | 16 November 2013 | [29] |
| Valeriy Brumel | Soviet Union / Russia | High jump | 21 November 2014 | [30] |
| Glenn Davis | United States | Sprint, 400m Hurdles | 21 November 2014 | [30] |
| Heike Drechsler |  East Germany /  Germany | Long jump, Sprint | 21 November 2014 | [30] |
| Hicham El Guerrouj |  Morocco | Middle-distance running | 21 November 2014 | [30] |
| Marita Koch | East Germany | Sprint | 21 November 2014 | [30] |
| Robert Korzeniowski | Poland | Race walk | 21 November 2014 | [30] |
| Jānis Lūsis | Soviet Union /  Latvia | Javelin | 21 November 2014 | [30] |
| Bob Mathias | United States | Decathlon | 21 November 2014 | [30] |
| Wilma Rudolph | United States | Sprint | 21 November 2014 | [30] |
| Shirley Strickland de la Hunty | Australia | Sprint, 80m hurdles | 21 November 2014 | [30] |
| Lasse Virén | Finland | Middle and Long-distance running | 21 November 2014 | [30] |
| Cornelius Warmerdam | United States | Pole vault | 21 November 2014 | [30] |
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