What if they gave a World Championships and nobody came?

[Al in NYC]

The seas of empty seats have been obvious on WCSN. It seems that, once again, there was some wishful thinking involved in the planning of this event. Track is not really a very popular sport in Japan, and Japanese success is rather limited in it, but hosting international events has (or used to have) high prestige value there. It looks to me like Osaka got caught in their usual "whatever Tokyo can do we can do too" second city syndrome, and are stuck holding a not very popular or well thought out event in a stadium that is way too large at a time of the year when not too many people are interested in sitting outside for long periods of time.

Anyway, here is a local view, from the English language edition of one of Japan's major national dalies:
"World Atheltics Championships threaten to melt into oblivion"

[Justin Clouder]

I believe - and have for some time - that the WC programme is very, very stretched over 9 days. There is really not a lot of action in each evening session. The whole champs could be reduced to 5 or 6 days quite easily, which would make each day a magical meet.

I thought this in Paris, when I was actually there and felt that I was not getting value for ticket-price money each day, even though the event as a whole left me with lots of good memories.

IMHO!

Justin

[kuha]

I believe - and have for some time - that the WC programme is very, very stretched over 9 days. There is really not a lot of action in each evening session. The whole champs could be reduced to 5 or 6 days quite easily, which would make each day a magical meet.Justin

I've been making this gripe (about all the champtionship meets) for a long time.

[Kishan Gill]

I believe - and have for some time - that the WC programme is very, very stretched over 9 days. There is really not a lot of action in each evening session. The whole champs could be reduced to 5 or 6 days quite easily, which would make each day a magical meet.

I thought this in Paris, when I was actually there and felt that I was not getting value for ticket-price money each day, even though the event as a whole left me with lots of good memories.

IMHO!

Justin

I agree a shortened meet is great for the spectators but you have to put the athletes welfare in mind and the extra days do help them to recover and hopefully give good performances in the final.

[Vault-emort]

I wonder what the crowd might be like if ever the World Champs was held in the US

[Justin Clouder]

I agree a shortened meet is great for the spectators but you have to put the athletes welfare in mind and the extra days do help them to recover and hopefully give good performances in the final.

Do you prefer the current situation with a thin programme, low attendances and media disinterest?

And which athletes would be inconvenienced? No 5k/10k doubles maybe, but we rarely get those anyway. It would make no difference to the vast majority of athletes, particularly if combined with fewer rounds (max of three) and tougher entry standards.

Plus, diddums to the poor athletes. They are professionals, they can just get on with it. This is the premiere, pinnacle t&f-only meet in the world and should be organised so as to benefit the sport, not molly-coddle the athletes.

IMHO!

Justin

[Kishan Gill]

[quote=Justin Clouder]

I agree a shortened meet is great for the spectators but you have to put the athletes welfare in mind and the extra days do help them to recover and hopefully give good performances in the final.

Do you prefer the current situation with a thin programme, low attendances and media disinterest?

And which athletes would be inconvenienced? No 5k/10k doubles maybe, but we rarely get those anyway. It would make no difference to the vast majority of athletes, particularly if combined with fewer rounds (max of three) and tougher entry standards.

Plus, diddums to the poor athletes. They are professionals, they can just get on with it. This is the premiere, pinnacle t&f-only meet in the world and should be organised so as to benefit the sport, not molly-coddle the athletes.

IMHO!

Justin[/quote:2s7gopph]

I am completely in agreement that the daily coverage feels stretched but you just can't dismiss the athletes needs. They work damn hard so deserve a little mollycoddling.

[einnod23]

I have said this for a looooong time.....that the "2-year cycle" was the biggest mistake the IAAF ever did. The IAAF was looking for money, and it now has meets in bad-weather venues with empty seats! And the "every two-year" cycle is losing its luster!

I renew my proposal: go back to every 4 years, BUT.....have the Worlds during the midterm (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022). The 4-year, midterm Worlds will keep more behinds in the seats, due to the anticipation factor. Most importantly, it will provide the athletes with much-needed two year championship breaks before and after the Olys and Worlds!

[einnod23]

nm

[Kishan Gill]

I agree with a reversion to four years but that mid-term will probably not go down well with athletes from both the commonwealth and europe which I guess is just the british isles which I suppose is tough luck to them.

Then again to take part in the europeans or commonwealths and also the worlds can take some sting out of these athletes and effect competitiveness.

I can just see Justin giving me grief over this one as well. MORE molly-coddling. :wink:

[Al in NYC]

I agree with Justin. I've sat in the stadium during the long lulls in the program at various major meets and wondered why the program was so stretched out, and whether less dedicated track fans than I were feeling just a bit ripped off. - especially at the high ticket prices being charged.

The problem, of course, is the one picked out above. Running the rounds means that athletes have to have time to recover before their next race. And the IAAF's insistence on a rather extreme inclusiveness - in part brought about by their own internal politics - means a full set of rounds in most events. (and forces them to resort to the awful three heat "semi"-finals). Of course, I also get the feeling that the IAAF really just wants to be able to sell more tickets, and refuses to recognize how bad this is for the sport.

But maybe it's time to bring back the off day, reduce the number of competitors and competition days, and package these meets a little more tightrly

[Justin Clouder]

I renew my proposal: go back to every 4 years, BUT.....have the Worlds during the midterm (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022). The 4-year, midterm Worlds will keep more behinds in the seats, due to the anticipation factor. Most importantly, it will provide the athletes with much-needed two year championship breaks before and after the Olys and Worlds!

My problem with a 4-year cycle is that it simply seeks to replicate the OG, in which it will always fail. The more like the OG is the WC, the less status it has.

Let's do something different instead - a smaller, condensed, ultra-high quality bi-annual event which can act as the perfect showpiece of the sport. Tons of quality marks every day, events as tightly packed as the Texas Relays, brutal qualifying requirements, the works. Let the OG be the spread-out, invite-every-athlete-and-their-dog, 'participation more important than winning' event.

IMHO!

Justin

[Justin Clouder]

I can just see Justin giving me grief over this one as well. MORE molly-coddling. :wink:

Damn right! ****-em, they're professionals! :evil: :lol:

Justin

[Cooter Brown]

The only way for track to stay relevant is to have a WC or OG every year and compress the schedule to make it worth sitting in the heat and worth broadcasting a large block of time on the TV.

Multi's can be TUE/WED.
Qualifying rounds TUE/WED/THU.
Friday can be an off day to build hype for the finals.
All finals SAT & SUN - preferably all on only one day.

The Texas/Penn/Mt Sac Relays do at least twice as many races in 1/3 of the time as the WC's. If they can handle it, why can't the IAAF?

[The Captain]

The answer is to stop farming it round the place and keep in Europe (he says only half jokingly). I would expect some big crowds for Berlin ...