The 2019 Muller Birminghamd DL, photo by Getty Images / British Athletics
This is a fascinating piece by Mike Rowbottom. Mike is one of my favorite writers. Mike Rowbottom is one of the keenest observers of athletics that I have had the pleasure to read. A finely honed sense of humor, added with a fascinating attention to detail, Mike gives his readers an unique view of the sport.
And as you know, we love insidethegames.biz!
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe says meetings may have to take place in empty stadiums as the sport attempts to return to normality in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this week the World Athletics flagship series, the Diamond League, announced a new provisional calendar of 11 meetings this year, starting in August and running through to October.
Asked by insidethegames if circumstances may require athletes’ efforts to be viewed via television rather than directly by spectators, Coe responded: “In the short term we may have to compromise on that.
“We can’t be oblivious or tin-eared to what we are being told by local communities and public health authorities.
“It may well mean that.
“It’s clear that football is going to come back quite quickly with the Bundesliga plans.
“And that will be behind closed doors.
“I don’t think anybody is contemplating this as the ideal long-term solution – sport would wither on the vine quite quickly if that were the case.
“But that may well be a compromise we have to make in order to get the athletes back into competition, leagues finished, at least some kind of competition.”
This entire article can be found at : https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1094291/world-athletics-sebastian-coe-stadia
Author
Mike Rowbottom covered the last three Olympic Games as chief feature writer for insidethegames, and the previous five for The Independent in London. He has worked for the Daily Mail, The Times, The Observer and The Guardian.
View all posts