Lessons learned from the rebidding of the 2020 USA Track & Field Trials

The 2020 USA Track & Field Trials will be an amazing event. Now that the event is being rebid, many are confused. We are confused. In the desire to add to that confusion, we have noted the three points below. We do this as a way to open the discussion to hope for some clarity and transparency to be added to the process.

There is obvious genuine concern by USA Track & Field. No one wants to open the process again. We are just curious why.

Wayde Van Niekerk may open at the Athletics SA’s Athletix Invitational Meet in Johannesburg…

An Update on the 2020 Olympic Trials

THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC), THOMAS BACH, AND THE PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN, ABE SHINZO, HELD A CONFERENCE CALL THIS MORNING TO DISCUSS THE CONSTANTLY CHANGING ENVIRONMENT WITH REGARD TO COVID-19 AND THE OLYMPIC GAMES TOKYO 20

West Grandstands, conception from Mt.SAC

1. Seems that USA Track & Field may not have had an accurate assessent of Mt.SAC’s second lawsuit. From information available in public media spaces, we are confused even more. Mt.SAC had a positive decision in the first lawsuit. In the second lawsuit, it was quite clear that while the judge was giving the complaintants their day in court, there was little chance of Mt.SAC’s rebuild being actually reversed. In terms of money, public information notes that Mt.SAC had open access to the majority of the bond issue. Suffice it to say that the Mt.SAC rebuild not only had guaranteed funding, but there was strong chance it would be finished in 2019.

2. Several bids are expected. Des Moines will probably bid. Sacramento will probably bid. Rumor is that Eugene might bid, but that seems quite confusing as the complete rebuild of Hayward Field has not begun. RunBlogRun encourages new bids and some actual innovation. Eugene had done a fine job in 2008, 2012 and 2016, although, reports suggest a significant loss for 2016 that has not been remedied. @runblogrun wonders, outloud, if Mt.SAC will rebid the Olympic Trials.

3. Will USATF reconsider Mt.SAC? That remains a question to be considered. Surely, if USATF Board found that they were not given appropriate information, would not the right thing be to reconsider Mt.SAC? One would think that the Board, realizing the overall support for Mt.SAC and the need to move a Trials event from Eugene once in awhile, might look at this contrarian approach. They have precedent. The Olympic marathon Trials in 2016 was given to LA even though much of the support was for Houston. Max Siegel noted, then, or his spokesperson noted then, that the CEO of USATF had to make the best decision for the sport. We respectfully ask him to use the same consideration for the 2020 Trials.

Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
View all posts