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.
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
RSS