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Also in the Fail if you can't negotiate the Guardian paywall: Save our sport! British athletes plead with Lord Coe to step in and save UK Athletics | Daily Mail Online
Not clear what standing Coe has to intervene... -
Interesting to read in the Mail article that athletes are complaining about the lack of good competitions in the UK. That must be a real concern I think, especially for the type of athlete who is on the cusp of international level (not world class level) - say a women's 15:25 5000 runner - and who isn't able to get to Europe 3 or 4 times a summer because they have to work a "proper" job.
I've been banging on about this for years. Frankly, it's a bit of an embarrassment that a country of our size has no decent annual international meetings outside the 2 Diamond League meetings (the Loughborough & Manchester Internationals aren't worthy of the name, involving only British nations). The attempt to create one with last June's Manchester Invitational apparently has nothing to do with the UKA, having been set up and promoted by Bryggen Sports (Vicente Modahl's event company).
Even countries of 5 or 10 million have a far healthier international meeting calendar. Finland has 6 decent international meetings every summer. Belgium has 8 or 9. The Czech Republic has several. Etc etc.
The problem seems to be that UKA are only interested in organising the big glittery money-spinners. Hence that badly-managed attempt at reviving a World Cup competition in 2018. But, if they can't make a few hundred thousand from it, they appear not to be interested.Comment
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I've always wondered why GB seems to have a dearth of quality athletics events on our own shores.... I'll say this until the cows come home... Neglected venues like Crystal Palace should be first in line for some serious renovation and then become the center piece for a World Athletics challenge event, gold, silver or bronze. Heck, London alone has a bunch of decent athletics tracks that could handle something similar to, say, the Nice International or Marseilles events - Newham and Dagenham have tracks that are of good standard that in recent months have produced fast (ish) times for our domestic athletes... Surely they should be given a chance at widening the profile of athletics in this country?Comment
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The financial situation is really starting to pinch, Scott Simpson coached two athletes to top 8 finishes, if he were working for any other federation in the developed world he would be seen as indispensable. If they go through with the proposed wage cuts he may look at pastures newComment
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Disappointing that Malcolm seems to have been absent through the Olympics - not on reference in the Press I have seen....The Dagenham Event seems to have gone down well with the Athletes......maybe more similar need to beset up.Comment
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This was also in the Times so I guess someone syndicated it well. (OH, the Grauniad’s big thing is that it doesn’t have a paywall…).
It’s a good headline that probably wouldn’t have got much airtime without the Coe angle. But his WA role surely means that he can’t get involved.
The problems as we all know are many and various and the domestic scene certainly needs to become more vibrant. Busting this out into open may do some good, but not necessarily.Comment
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Remove the barriers to sponsorship, host more domestic events with prize money, and create an expectation that the athlete/club/group etc pays the coach, not the NGB.
By far the best was forware IMOComment
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Thank god we see a few posts that assure me that all the BS on a certain site about how all UKA is fine 3 individual medals and no gold, 24th on the table that's normal and ok and you must not criticise the nobodies who run the show. The most self important panjandrums in british sport worried more about useless cliches management crap and a top coach chosen for his colourless personality who I believe will achieve FA.Originally posted by LuckySpikes View Post
I have made reference before to the scandalous lack of facilities in the south and the foreign city of London screwed up its stadium event to get some cash from the football dominated people.
Talk about depressing, and I wonder what the experts who defend UKA all the time and have told me on this site how we are the number 2 world power in track and field...ho ho ho . Glad to see Laps reference the dreaded Grauniad article and the true follow ups by fans who live in the real world. Our male athletes wow how poor are they and the pr schmucks at UKA can no longer live on Mo etc and 2012.Another 20 mill or so till Paris for a bunch who live, work and or train outside the country in a number of cases. Can you understand , oh flag wavers, why a number of athletes whinge to Seb who can and will do nothing.
Never mind guys, Coates has a plan😁😁 Trouble is she is already thinking about her next major role...only quality she has is management speak.
Give me the tough charismatic leaders for top role and top coach, not this load of incompetent nobodies.
Christ, Italy gets 5 golds and the little country I love, Nether lands, gets 8 medals.
Who would not rant when they they are told how we must treasure our over rated sprinters who have a bit of a problem starting or who spend copious time injured or behaving when it matters.Our field events performers I am told are second rate because its always been like that and after all East Euro countries dont have sprinters...so what that's a feeble excuse from a country which has always had some field event exceptions anyway.
I have no doubt that in Germany if there is the equivalent of Athletics Weekly Forum there are fans decrying their pathetic athletes( Mihambo an exception) whilst others are excusing the largest population in West Europe. Mind you they do possess some decent stadiums and dont have to rely on winter conditions like Gateshead etc. It would be great if the WA people said no more DL meets Brits until you get your house in order. Wont happen of course. Birmingham coming up and glorious CP have money spent on it. No chance sadlyComment
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Seb Coe is among my all time favourite British Athletes, but his promise that athletics will have a legacy in Stratford, is patently not the case, and he needs to be held to account. ... The ever increasing and astronomical cost to 'convert' the London Stadium for a couple of athletics meets per year, with or without COVID interference, is not sustainable, and LOCOG, or whatever body, who manages the stadium clearly wants rid of the obligation.
With the pending 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and the refurbishment of the Alexander Stadium, UKA has a get-out. You can hear the PR release being written now about how its wonderful world class facilities, in the middle of a vibrant culture, offering great transport connections with HS2, for the diverse youth of tomorrow blah blah blah ... and that’s all well and good... but it’s not what we were promised for London.
However, being pragmatic, and a Londoner, make a deal with the powers to be, release them from the London stadium obligation, on the basis they fund a modernisation of Crystal Palace, and return this into a ‘world class stadium in the middle of a vibrant culture, offering great transport connections ... (LOL, they can save time and effort and cut’n’paste the same PR release ) and give this historic venue assurance of World Class athletics every year, along with being home to several domestic meets.
That would be a small step...
So is Seb Coe the right person to turn to and address issues with IAAF, who knows, in his role at WA, and as an athlete, he will have a view for sure, but can or will he do anything...Last edited by carterhatch; 14-09-21, 20:15.Comment
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I don't want to jump in the issue in regards to coaches etc I have my own thoughts.
But I have always found it strange/annoying the lack of Continental Tour meetings in the UK, not even a bronze! a nice easy way to get our athletes to compete domestically at a slightly higher than national level, little bit of cash and points to be gained.Comment
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Exactly.Originally posted by Stew-Coach View Post
Everywhere *else* in Europe seems to have a Continental Tour meeting, yet the UK is bereft of them. Both Diamond League meetings in Gateshead this year were a big success (yes, even the first one in the appalling weather conditions)... why not have that venue have a silver or bronze level event, and a fully refur'd up Crystal Palace be for the gold level event, or if the London Stadium *must* be handed over to the scrounging West Ham United (UGH!), then it becomes the home for all future London Diamond League meetings? I also mentioned in an earlier comment that venues in Newham and Dagenham have good enough tracks to hold larger events than what they are currently been used for, so there must be room for them too.
Here's another oddity... when was the last time the UK held a World or European U20 or European U23 Championship? Surely a great way to get a bunch of U15s athletes excited is to bid for and win the right to hold a home age group champs. As Keely Hodgkinson openly admitted after winning her silver in Tokyo, or DAS did when winning the World Championship 200 m title in Doha, they were both massively motivated and inspired by the build up to and events of London 2012, wouldn't the same be true of a home U20 championships?Comment
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carterhatch - The 50 year lease for UK Athletics to use the Olympic Stadium for five weeks in June/July is the legacy. It has a value. Presumably LOCOG and West Ham would be very interested in buying athletics out, all things considered. Harsh to blame Coe for how this all turned out. To get the Olympic Stadium built for 2012 required rapid focused action not years of fannying about deciding on its after-use. Ridiculous to say he should be held to account....a phrase which is usually devoid of thought as it is here. Without Coe's input at various stages Athletics would have had nothing.Originally posted by carterhatch View Post
That UK Athletics does not put on more international meetings is a disgrace imo.
And as for you Philipo I despise The Guardian. It is full of identity politics and social justice nonsense but if you don't read widely you will end up with a very limited understanding of the world.
You might even take to ranting and showing little appreciation or understanding of other's viewpoints. Heaven forbid!
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To hold a person responsible for something they had no power over is crass. I don't think we know what Coe did, or didn't do, leading to the DL event moving to Gateshead. All we know is that it wasn't his responsibility or duty to make UK Athletics decisions for them. From UK Athletics threatening LLDC with legal action to then apparently caving in was not played out in the public domain. One assumes that the cost and impracticality of legal action and the passing of time resulted in a fait accompli.
As far as the legacy was concerned that consisted of worldwide programs to bolster participation which reports said were all carried through and use of the stadium. What did he fail in that he personally had any control over? I would describe the situation as Coe leading the horse (UK Athletics) to water but you can't make a horse drink. It seems to me that UK Athletics has minimised its use of the stadium and minimised the events it organises generally.
The decisions all lay with UKAthletics. Let's hope they make good ones in future. Personally I doubt it. -
UK Athetics did get a 7 figure settlement out of the LLDC so they didn't 'cave in' completely and was probably the best result for both parties in the end for this year, avoiding a messy court case which UKA would have surely won due to having a watertight contract.
Time will tell what happens in the future but to me it wouldn't make financial sense for UKA to give up their contract for the Olympic Stadium. The post Commonwealth Games capacity in Birmingham is 18000, Olympic Stadium is 3 times that so in terms of ticket revenue why would they give that extra revenue up? -
Accepting the money was a climbdown as a read of this article from April will show - https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...-big-july-meet
Filling Birmingham's 18,000 would be beyond the numbers an Anniversary Games could attract these days imo. Unless ticket prices were significantly reduced or a new GB star is born. I watched the crowd dwindle at the Olympic Stadium each successive year after 2016 as the Olympic magic faded with no Bolt to bolster numbers any more. Of course there might be Championships which could attract more in the distant future. For now it is a massive capacity bound to be wasted with costs to the taxpayer which many outside the sport will think unjustified for one poorly attended event.
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whats wrong with a bit of ranting; the measured stuff, so beloved of Brit moderation, doesn't seem to be going anywhere or achieving much right now..Or have i missed the issue. If its patently true that some senior British athletes collared the the great cheese( probably with holes therein) no doubt they had plenty to say.Originally posted by Laps View Post
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I can't read the articles, firewall and adblock, and though my inner curmudgeon wants/wanted to vent, I restrained myself, however ...
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