Is there really sound logic behind van Commenee's stiff targets?
CHARLES van Commenee was hitting all the marks as he revealed his stiff qualification criteria for next year's European Athletics Championships in Barcelona.
COOL CUSTOMER: UKA head coach Charles van Commenee is setting sights high for 2010 (Getty Images for Aviva)
The UKA head coach has every right to feel a little smug after a 2009 that has seen British athletes overachieve on the doom-laden predictions set for them.
"No-one ever jumped higher by lowering the bar," he said.
"We are looking for contenders, not pretenders."
Sound soundbites but sound logic?
The standards laid down for 2010 mirror those for this year's IAAF World Championships in Berlin.
However, surely the aim for next year's Europeans should be to give young talent the chance to experience competing in the atmosphere of a big event, after all, London 2012 is now just two major competitions away.
Maybe van Commenee thinks that is what the Commonwealth Games are for - a worrying thought that could see that event go the same way as Pan-Am Games, once a powerful track and field competition now reduced to a second-string sideshow.
Although such logic appears backed up by the increasing number of top British names that are already admitting to dodging Delhi.
Surely UKA will come under pressure to field the biggest possible team at London 2012, with the fullest possible quota of athletes in each event?
After all, remember that Locog will soon be looking to shift over 1.4 million track and field tickets.
In addition, the British Olympic Association are watching with interest - they'll receive more valuable accreditations, for much-needed back room and support staff, the bigger the team is.
You also have to wonder whether Van Commenee's tough love policy will do anything to stimulate the sorry state of British distance running - or what endurance chief Ian Stewart makes of it.
In Berlin this year, the concerning lack of depth was exposed when Mo Farah was the only British athlete, male or female, who competed in either the 5000m, 10,000m or marathon.
It's worth noting that if the rest of Europe applied Van Commenee's standards next year, there would be 16 men entered in the 1500m, eight in the 3,000m steeplechase, six in the 5000m and none in the 10,000m.
Earlier this year UK Athletics relaxed their separate policy for marathon runners in order to field a full-strength squad in the team event that will make its debut in Barcelona.
Why is there one regulation for the marathon and another for every other event?
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Comments
Killing the sport
The European Championships are for European class athletes. It is ridiculous to refuse to send people just because the Africans are so much better in some events. Where should this policy stop? Why not ban athletes who aren't capable of winning at world level from national competitions? Because taking away incentives will kill the sport! How hard is that to grasp?
Aussies
Australia will kill you guys in India
I think its wrong that so
I think its wrong that so many big name athletes aren't competing at the commonwealths, very embarrassing for kelly holmes who has invested so much in it. It's going to be a very second rate event next year. I suppose they will probably return for Glasgow as it will be virtually a home games. The euros has already been devalued by the decision to stage the event every two years, meaning the 2012 comp will be held about month before the olympics. who will turn up to that?
Not wanting to sound gloomy
Not wanting to sound gloomy but the reality is that unless a major talent appears next season, Britain won't medal in the individual 100m or 200m, men or women. Simply because we don't have anyone good enough, which in part is because most if not all of our top sprinters are clean.
Our only chance is in the relays, which if we run to our potential could see us collect 3, maybe 4 medals. Or if there is a freak slow yr (like when darren campbell won 200m silver in athens) we might feature. Obviously we have 3-4 athletes who could challenge for podiums in the 400m but much of this hangs on whether the athletes can stay injury free -
something Dan Pfaff has been brought in to address.
I hope CVC is setting these standards as a bluff to drive our athletes to their potential, with the official Euro standard being the UKA 'B' standard. We will see...
Emily Freeman was the only
Emily Freeman was the only female Brit to run in the 200m and there were no girls in the 100m.
If that continues because people aren't being given the chance to get major championship experience - how do we expect to be competitive in 2012.
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