IAAF downplays fears of possible changes to Olympic programme
THE International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) has sought to downplay fears that a number of track events could be eliminated from the Olympic programme starting in 2020.
News broke last week that in an attempt to tighten the Olympic schedule, events from several sports, including track and field and swimming, could be eliminated. Among them are the 200m and 10,000m events in track and field.
This raised concerns among Jamaicans, who have been dominant in the shorter sprints of late.
In a release yesterday, however, the IAAF said: “No credence whatsoever should be given to recent unfounded speculation regarding possible changes to athletics’ programme within the Olympic Games.”
The release went on to explain that “while the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations were passed at last week’s session, no details or specific proposals have yet been made by the IOC as to how they will be implemented”.
— Paul Reid
