"He did a lot of work around Tokyo (the Olympics last year) and he has been there and thereabouts for Diamond League events," said Coe.

"We recognize any time Usain Bolt can give to the sport but he does have a pretty full dance card. I know the guys who work alongside him and he is pretty busy commercially and contracted across extensive areas.

"The more time with Usain the better but there are constraints across that."

Coe said the increased exposure for other athletes was due reward for a "really challenging year" and one "we did not plan for," as the world championships had been moved a year later to accommodate the pandemic-delayed Olympics.

"We should not also forget the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships and they also competed in a full Diamond League season plus a lot of Continental Tour events and national selections," he said.

"For me, it is a fabulous example of resilience and fortitude and a simple determination to stay at the top of their game and they have done that. It is primarily through their efforts that athletics has started to grow again in popularity and gained more broadcast hours."

Coe -- who said he was looking forward to the world championships in Budapest in 2023, which is the 40th anniversary of the inaugural event held in Helsinki -- said it had been a year to treasure given the disruption caused by COVID in the two years previously.

"I am very, very proud of what we have achieved to set aside the 2020-2021 travails," said the two-time Olympic champion. "To be able to get as much off the starting blocks was a real testimony that we bounced back stronger than many other sports."

Japan’s X League: An American Football Game Day Experience in Japan 

Being an American Football fan in Japan can be tough. Most of the U.S.A.’s National Football League (NFL) season games start at 2 a.m. for us in Japan. It’s hard to enjoy a game when you have to get up for work and catch the morning train in a few hours.

That being said, there is an alternative available to football fans that don’t involve giving up a night of sleep: the X League. Japan has had its football league in place for some time now, and it’s built up a loyal following around the country. 

My first experience with Japan’s X League was a day out with my family at the MK Taxi Field Expo in Osaka to watch the Kadoma Panasonic Impulse take on Tokyo’s Tainai Deers.

The best way to describe an X League game is to compare it to a junior college or high school game in America: with the type of set-up, you may have seen in many American television programs. The field is the same size and design. Each group of fans has a side of the pitch set up with bleachers. Rules and overall set-up are the same as always, so there are no changes to the game itself.

The team’s cheerleaders hype up the crowd on the sidelines at one end of the stands, with American rock music pumped out of speakers similar to what you’d hear at a game outside of Japan.

Attendees range from groups of teenagers, older fans, and families. Kids are running around banging the cardboard fans along with the rest of the crowd to cheer for their team.

Despite not seeing the type of exposure for American football in Japan for sports like baseball, the number of fans attending the game for the home team had the seats almost full. Even the opposing team (from Tokyo) had fans in the bleachers.