Collins Backs New Championships Ruling
Tue 15 Nov, 1:09 PM
UK Athletics performance director Dave Collins has welcomed a new ruling by the IAAF which will allow more athletes to compete in future World Championships.
The world governing body confirmed at a council meeting in Moscow last weekend that a competitor who has achieved the ‘B’ standard will be able to take part as well as those who have qualified by right from each country.
In the past, participating nations have only been permitted to send a ‘B’ qualified competitor to the championships if none of their athletes has achieved the higher ‘A’ standard.
The IAAF have now recognised that in many cases this has seen their member federations restricted to only one competitor in certain events and they have made the change in line with their own development plans.
Collins said: "This will allow us to use the championships for a variety of purposes, particularly the development of our future stars.
“No longer do we have the strength of the past with the likes of Sebastian (Coe), (Steve) Ovett and Steve (Cram), who for example would qualify automatically by right,” he said, using the trio of middle distance stars as a past example.
“This will definitely mean we can do the business of development at the highest level and it is certainly the way to go forward.”
But he added: “Of course we will only take those who have the ability to progress their future and it will not be see us filling vacancies for the sake of it.”