UK Sport and Sport England have ruined athletics

The funding of athletics by the two sport quangos over the last 20 years has proven to be an unmitigated disaster (see my previous articles) ￡millions wasted on two 'unfit for purpose' NGB administrations meant to increase medals won at global events and meant to develop the sport from grass roots up "the likes of which has never been seen before" - David Moorcroft UK Athletics first CEO in 1999- ironically his quote proved to be true but not in the way he meant. The sport achieved more global medals and more top 8 positions before funding, and generally across all events; depth in standards were greater and the 'grass roots' were thriving far better through the clubs and their volunteer coaches through whom our elite athletes emerged.

The recent debacle at UK Athletics, forced to sack their Performance Director, Neil Black (a former physio) and also the incoming CEO, Zhara Hyde-Peters from Triathlon, even before she took up the post. They've now also lost their replacement Chairman, Chris Clarke, who'd taken over from the previous one, Richard Bowker who was forced to resign. On top of that, the BBC contract, up for renewal to televise UKA events, is now likely not to be renewed or if so will be, as reported in the press, at a fraction of the previous ￡3million they paid to UKA. Clearly, the BBC realises audience viewing figures have become too low to justify the cost.

The newly appointed CEO, Joanna Coates, comes from her previous post as head of the England Netball Association, a sport not included in the Olympic Games, to take over the number 1 sport of the Olympic Games. Despite the fact that she was very successful in raising the profile and achievements for netball, how does that one dimensional game relate to the multi dimensional complexity of track and field athletics covering 24 different events? We are told she brought in good sponsorship. And this apparently makes her best placed to bring in sponsorship for athletics?

But, a CEO's job is not just about sponsorship, if at all and certainly not directly. An outside company could and should be be hired to find sponsorship. Neils de Vos the previous departed CEO, sacked APA, an independent promotions company, because he thought he could do it all by himself. Just look at how that turned out? Before De Vos, Alan Pascoe's APA company brought in ￡55million from Aviva. De Vos achieved only a fraction of that in his 10 year tenure as CEO.

The CEO's job is to run UKA efficiently, cost effectively and to ensure through a very carefully designed strategy, the best possible coaching and training opportunities, and all that that entails, with the most experienced and effective staff to provide full GB teams to the global events. (since funding began many events at the Olympic Games and World Championships have been devoid of any British competitor and many more with just 1) He or she is also responsible to promote the sport and provide all the infrastructure to hold international events and the national championships.

Bringing in someone from netball to be CEO of the largest and principal sport of the Olympic Games and appointing a couple of people from rugby to oversee "performance" is not only highly questionable but unlikely to achieve anything better than the failed previous incumbents? Just more money down the drain on a bloated and largely incompetent administration. But who is ultimately to blame for this? Is it the sport itself or is it the government's quango funding bodies who determine who will lead the sport, set the priorities and targets yet fail to properly assess achievements, or rather lack of them, and evaluate value for money spent and how? Simply relying on UK Athletics and England Athletics' self assessment and accounting for what they spend their funding on is not the same as having that spend assessed against achievements.

The fact is, if UKA and EA were shut down tomorrow what difference would it make? Would our 3-4 current realist medal chance athletes chuck it in? Would the clubs, and Counties and Areas Associations disappear? Would the masses of fun and fitness joggers and runners disappear? Would the Great North Run, the London marathon and all other "charity fund raising events" be crying out for entries? Would Park Runs cease to exist? No, of course not. So why do we need bloated, over paid UKA and EA administrations using up ￡millions in lottery funding to spend almost wholly on themselves, empire building, when the sport could easily achieve all objectives with a fully transparent NGB at 20% of the current staffing, accountable to the sport itself through the Area's elected representatives Board of Directors.

UK Sport and Sport England, responsible for funding our sport at elite and grass roots have proven to be seriously inadequate for the sports real needs and highly incompetent in ensuring that funding provides value for money, as would be evidenced in increased medals at global events; full GB representation across all events and a clear increase in standards and participation in real athletics as in T&F competitions. Not fantasy participation numbers in jogging claimed as "Olympic event athletics" by England Athletics!