The International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) decision to drop the 5,000m from its Diamond League series has been met with strong resistance from Ethiopia and Kenya, where one former world champion accused the sport’s governing body of trying to “kill long-distance running.”
The Ethiopian Athletics Federation has written to association president Sebastian Coe asking it to reconsider the change, which comes into effect from next year and was part of a larger overhaul of the series.
Athletics Kenya said it would also argue for the 5,000m to be restored and would ask African nations to come together in opposition to the decision at a meeting of the African track body next month.
The IAAF this week announced a plan to revamp the Diamond League from next year, reducing the series to 12 meetings and a finals event. There would now be 24 disciplines at each meet — 12 for men and 12 for women.
The 5,000m was one of the disciplines to be cut, leaving the 3,000m as the longest race on the schedule.
“They want to kill long-distance running,” two-time 10,000m world champion Moses Tanui of Kenya said in a telephone interview on Friday. “I think [the reason] is the dominance of our athletes in long distances.”
Ethiopia’s opposition came in a letter from federation interim president Derartu Tulu, who wrote in Thursday’s letter addressed to Coe: “We totally disagree with the decisions made.”
Tulu, a two-time Olympic champion in the 10,000m, urged the IAAF to reconsider.
“[It is] not fair to countries like ours who are very competitive in long-distance running, and these distances are our cultural sports and also our identity,” she wrote.
The Diamond League is the highest-profile athletics competition outside of the World Championships and the Olympics, but its format underwent a yearlong review in an attempt to find a product that was more pleasing to TV viewers and more engaging for fans.
The changes were aimed at creating “a faster-paced 90-minute television event” for each meet, the IAAF said.
In a statement on Friday, the IAAF said that last year, only three regular-season Diamond League meetings opted to stage a 5,000m race for men, and only two put on a women’s 5,000m.
From next year, meets would still have the option of including a 5,000m, just outside the 90-minute TV window.
“We made the decision to reduce the 5,000m distance to a 3,000m distance based on clear market feedback from the broadcasters and fans,” the association said.
The Ethiopian and Kenyan federations also complained about a lack of consultation with them or their athletes before the IAAF announced the changes. The IAAF said it did receive feedback from distance runners.
The 5,000m at the Diamond League gave Kenyan runners precious chances to earn a living in prize money, as well as prepare for the Worlds and the Olympics, Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei said.
“That chance has been curtailed and therefore we are appealing to the IAAF to consider that position,” Tuwei said.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was