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 West Ham chosen as preferred Olympic Stadium tenant http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94d557e5d636fa227973242.jpg" alt="West Ham chosen as preferred Olympic Stadium tenant" /></p><h3>Friday 11th February 2011</h3> <p>WEST Ham United has been selected as the preferred club to move into the Olympic Stadium in east London after the 2012 Games.</p> <p>Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) executives chose the club's bid over a rival proposal from Tottenham Hotspur.</p> <p>The decision must now be ratified by two government departments and the mayor of London, possibly next week. The vote in favour of West Ham's bid for the £537m venue was unanimous. It was judged to provide the best legacy.</p> <p>Spurs' plan was widely criticised because it would involve knocking down the stadium and building a new one. The club intended to pay for an expansion of the athletics facility in Crystal Palace, rather than keeping a legacy for the sport in Stratford.</p> <p>West Ham, currently bottom of the Premier League, will keep athletics in east London and leave the running track untouched. Denise Lewis wants the stadium in Stratford to become a "beacon" for athletics</p> <p>Baroness Ford, head of the OPLC, said: "We have made a unanimous recommendation to back West Ham and the borough of Newham as the long term tenant. "This represents the very best legacy for the stadium it is cracking for the communities of east London and a really good outcome for sport."</p> <p>Baroness Ford claimed that, contrary to reports the recommendation was a foregone conclusion, it was a tough decision.</p> <p>She said: "I pay tribute to both bids. They have each put the most enormous amount of effort into bringing the bids forward, we were thrilled to have two robust competitors."</p> <p>A Spurs spokesman said: "We provided a first class proposal to support the sustainability of the whole project.</p> <p>"It was never an option, however, that we would retain the running track as we believe this unacceptable for our supporters.</p> <p>The club added the deal was not yet concluded and it would "monitor the situation".</p> <p>A joint statement from Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles read: ''Today's recommendation by the OPLC board marks an important milestone for the future of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the whole Olympic project.</p> <p>"We will look through their recommendation in detail before coming to our own decision, we aim to make a formal announcement to Parliament shortly."</p> <p>It is considered highly unlikely that the government and Mayor of London Boris Johnson will not now rubber stamp the recommendation.</p> <p>Ken Livingstone, Mr Johnson's rival in the 2012 mayoral election, said: "This is the right decision for Londoners, the right decision for sports fans and athletes and the right decision for those who are working to deliver a long-term Olympic legacy for the capital.</p> <p>"Today's decision will ensure we fulfil promises that the capital will retain a world class athletics stadium at the Olympic Park which will inspire future generations."</p> <p>UK Athletics boss Ed Warner also welcomed the decision. He said: "The pledges have been met and there will be a long-term athletics legacy in the Olympic Park, we now have a fantastic opportunity to ensure it continues to inspire for generations to come."</p> <p>It is expected to cost about £95m to convert the venue from an 80,000 seat stadium to a 60,000-seat venue for football, athletics and cricket.</p> <p>The Olympic Delivery Authority is to give £35m of that to West Ham, while most of the remaining funds have been provided by a £40m loan arranged by Newham Council.</p> <p>But Lord Sugar, former chairman of Spurs, has previously said the West Ham plan is "totally flawed" and predicted the stadium would become "a white elephant".</p> <p>There was a vocal campaign in Tottenham against the move<br /> "It will be a disaster for the taxpayer and we'll end up having a mothballed Olympic village," he said ahead of the announcement.</p> <p>The entertainment company AEG, who were partners in the Spurs bid, predict the stadium will go bust within a decade if it retains an athletics track. But there was jubilation in north London among Spurs supporters who had campaigned against the club leaving its historic area.</p> <p>Haringey Council also praised the decision. It stressed that Spurs have planning permission for a new stadium at the White Hart Lane site and said building could "start almost immediately".</p> News Page #24959 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Shot putter Mark Edwards suspended by UK Anti-Doping http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94d564bebcb31e604200816.jpg" alt="Shot putter Mark Edwards suspended by UK Anti-Doping" /></p><h3>Friday 11th February 2011</h3> <p>UK Anti-Doping announced shot putter Mark Edwards has been provisionally suspended from all competition.</p> <p>Edwards has been charged with committing anti-doping rule violations under the UK Athletics anti-doping rules (presence and use of prohibited substances).</p> <p>The 36-year-old from Newham & Essex Beagles has the opportunity to respond to the charges against him and to have those charges determined at a full hearing before the National Anti-Doping Panel.</p> <p>A statement on the UK Athletics website, www.uka.org, added: "He is presumed innocent unless and until the charges brought against him have been upheld.</p> <p>"UK Anti-Doping is the national anti-doping organisation for the UK and has responsibility for the management of results and prosecution of disciplinary proceedings brought under the anti-doping rules of UK Athletics."</p> News Page #24964 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Let the games begin, Delhi welcomes the Commonwealths http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94ca8d33d06b80840799965.jpg" alt="Let the games begin, Delhi welcomes the Commonwealths" /></p><h3>Sunday 3rd October 2010</h3> <p>THE XIX Commonwealth Games finally following an uncertain build-up surrounding the condition of the athletes village and security issues began with a spectacular opening ceremony in the Indian city of Delhi as the Prince of Wales in front of a 65,000-strong audience declared the games open.</p> <p>His message to the crowd arrived as the Queen's baton completed a 112,000-mile relay that began almost a year ago at Buckingham Palace saying: "It is particularly fitting that the 2010 Commonwealth Games are being held in India.</p> <p>"Recently we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the London Declaration, when Indian independence brought into being the modern Commonwealth of nations.</p> <p>"I send my very best wishes for what I hope will be the experience of a lifetime."</p> <p>The four-hour spectacle included a vibrant and colourful showcase featuring over 7,000 dancers, drummers and acrobats inside the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.</p> <p>The centrepiece of the evening was a £5.5 million helium balloon that rose into the sky to ecstatic cheers after a countdown beaten out on giant drums.</p> <p>The athletics programme will begin on Wednesday afternoon (6th October).</p> News Page #24693 Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100 Channel 4 to broadcast the next two IAAF World Athletics Championships http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <h3>Thursday 30th September 2010</h3> <p>CHANNEL 4 has secured the broadcast rights for the 2011 and 2013 IAAF World Athletics Championships therefore ending the BBC’s long association with the event dating back to the inaugural championships held in Helsinki 1983.</p> <p>This is the second major global event that Channel 4 has wrestled away from the BBC having won the right to broadcast the 2012 London Paralympics Games.</p> <p>The 2011 World Athletics Championships take place next summer in the South Korean city of Daegu, whilst, the 2013 event will take place in Moscow, Russia.</p> <p>“This is excellent news,” said IAAF President Lamine Diack, “And underlines the important work that IEC is doing to secure free to air coverage in major television markets, with deals that also reflect the inherent value of our sport. We would like to express our gratitude to IEC for this breakthrough deal. The IAAF family will find Channel 4, to be a dynamic and vibrant terrestrial channel. Not only does it deliver strong ratings but it is particularly popular amongst the younger 16-34 year old age group, which fits in perfectly with the IAAF’s current and future development strategy.”</p> <p>London is currently bidding against Beijing to stage the event in 2015 at the newly built Olympic Stadium and has received positive vibes from the IAAF Evaluation Commission headed by Senior Vice President Sergey Bubka who visited the capital earlier this month to consider the merits of the British bid.</p> <p>The decision on the venue will be taken at the IAAF Council meeting taking place in Monte Carlo on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th November.</p> News Page #24676 Sun, 03 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100 Baby boy for Paula Radcliffe http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94ca439e12685f183247188.jpg" alt="Baby boy for Paula Radcliffe" /></p><h3>Thursday 30th September 2010</h3> <p>PAULA Radcliffe, the fastest women’s marathoner in history who shared the same due date as top American marathoner Kara Goucher, gave birth to a baby boy–Raphael–on Wednesday.</p> <p>“So happy to announce that Raphael arrived at 19.28. Our gorgeous little boy now sleeping peacefully,” Radcliffe announced on her Twitter page.</p> <p>Goucher and her husband Adam became parents for the first time on Saturday, giving birth to Colton Mirko Goucher, who weighed in at 7.1 pounds.</p> News Page #24674 Sat, 02 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100 Tamgho named Men's European Rising Star of the Year http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94ca35549988ae705554011.jpg" alt="Tamgho named Men's European Rising Star of the Year" /></p><h3>Wednesday 29th September 2010</h3> <p>FRENCH triple jumper Teddy Tamgho has been named the 2010 men's Rising Star of the Year award winner by the European Athletics Association presented by MONDO.</p> <p>The 21-year-old started the year by setting a new world indoor record when he produced an effort of 17.90metres at the World Indoor Championships in Doha in March.</p> <p>He followed that up with 17.98m at the New York Diamond League meeting in June, with only world record holder Jonathan Edwards and former Olympic and world champion Kenny Harrison having jumped further.</p> <p>Tamgho finished third behind world champion Phillips Idowu and Marian Oprea at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona.</p> News Page #24671 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100 Perković named Women's European Rising Star of the Year http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94ca37626e1904935329152.jpg" alt="Perković named Women's European Rising Star of the Year" /></p><h3>Wednesday 29th September 2010</h3> <p>SANDRA Perković of Croatia is the 2010 winner of the women's European Athletics Rising Star of the Year Award presented by MONDO.</p> <p>The 20-year-old became the youngest ever women’s European discus champion when she claimed gold at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, in her first year of senior competition.</p> <p>The Zagreb-born athlete also won gold in the under-23 category at the European Cup Winter Throwing in Arles, France, and produced a national record throw of 66.93m at the Memorial van Damme IAAF Diamond League meeting in Brussels.</p> <p>Great Britain's world junior champions Jodie Williams and Sophie Hitchon finished third and ninth respectively in the poll.</p> News Page #24672 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100 European champion Andy Turner ready for Commonwealth challenge http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94c9c511a2b1c5206619456.jpg" alt="European champion Andy Turner ready for Commonwealth challenge" /></p><h3>Friday 24th September 2010</h3> <p>EUROPEAN 110 metres hurdles champion Andy Turner is fully committed to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi despite all the adverse publicity in the build-up to the event notably the state of accommodation in the athletes village which has caused concern to a number of teams.</p> <p>However, Loughborough graduate Turner, (30) is still planning to head to India and looking forward to improve on his bronze medal achieved four-years ago in Melbourne as he reflected on his decision: "I'll be going. I'm looking forward to it obviously I've had my concerns - the things in the press about the village and the bridge collapsing - but for me it's a chance to further my athletics career so I'm going to take every opportunity I get.</p> <p>He continued: "I've literally just heard what everybody else has heard. I'm confident that by the time I get out there - I don't even get to Delhi until October 4 - I'm confident by that time everything's going to be absolutely fine.</p> <p>"Obviously it's in the back of my mind that I've got these concerns. It would be nice to be completely reassured that everything's going to be fine so we can focus 100% on the job in hand."</p> <p>Olympic 400 metres champion Christine Ohuruogu withdrew on Tuesday with injury problems, whilst, World gold medallist triple jumper Phillips Idowu will not defend his title because of concerns about safety.</p> <p>Loughborough-based Lisa Dobriskey will also not defend her 1500 metres title after being advised to rest and focus on winter training after an injury-hit season.</p> News Page #24648 Fri, 24 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100 Commonwealths hit by further world champions withdrawals http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <h3>Wednesday 22nd September 2010</h3> <p>KENYA's Olympic 1500 metres champion Asbel Kiprop and the women's world 10,000m champion Linet Masai and Australia’s world discus gold medallist Dani Samuels have all pulled out of next month's Commonwealth Games.</p> <p>Samuels has pulled out over safety concerns, the 22-year-old, who claimed gold at the World Championships in Berlin last summer, took the decision after the shooting of two tourists in Delhi at the weekend and the recent outbreak of dengue fever in the Indian capital.</p> <p>Kiprop misses the games due to an Achilles injury and will be replaced by the African 1500m silver medallist Gideon Gathimba, whilst, Masai has cited fatique as her reason for not traveling to Delhi.</p> News Page #24641 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100 Idowu, Ohuruogu and Dobriskey withdraw from Commonwealths http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94c991f22de0f0931526877.jpg" alt="Idowu, Ohuruogu and Dobriskey withdraw from Commonwealths" /></p><h3>Tuesday 21st September 2010</h3> <p>TEAM England's Phillips Idowu, Christine Ohuruogu and Lisa Dobriskey have all withdrawn from the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.</p> <p>Olympic 400 metres champion Ohuruogu felt a cramp during a training session last weekend and has decided to pull out of the Games rather than risk irritating the quad injury which saw her miss part of this season.</p> <p>Dobriskey, who won the 1,500m title in Melbourne four years ago, has been advised to rest and focus on winter training after an injury-hit season.</p> <p>Dobriskey worked hard to get into shape following a back injury in time for the European Championships in Barcelona, where she finished fourth, but has taken medical advice from UKA doctors to concentrate on working towards the 2011 indoor season.</p> <p>Idowu, the current world and European triple jump champion, has cited security issues commenting on his Twitter page: "Sorry people, but I have children to think about. My safety is more important to them than a medal."</p> News Page #24639 Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100 Team England raise concerns over Commonwealth Games athletes village http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94c985b8ea3dbb130845187.jpg" alt="Team England raise concerns over Commonwealth Games athletes village" /></p><h3>Tuesday 21st September 2010</h3> <p>COMMONWEALTH Games Team England have called for "urgent" work to be completed in Delhi before athletes begin arriving on Friday for next month's Games amid worries over "plumbing, electrical and other operational details".</p> <p>The athletes' village has been criticised by Commonwealth Games Federation president Michael Fennell, and CGE have now raised their own doubts.</p> <p>Fennell said the condition of the athletes village has "shocked the majority of delegates."</p> <p>His comments came after a number of participating countries have reportedly objected to the living conditions in the athletes village.</p> <p>Fennell said in a statement that he had urged the Indian government to take immediate actions because "many issues remain unresolved".</p> <p>"The village is the cornerstone of any Games and the athletes deserve the best possible environment to prepare for their competition," he said.</p> <p>Reports said that New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Ireland had objected to the living conditions in the athletes village.</p> <p>"While cleanliness had been a concern for us, further inspection has revealed some issues with plumbing, wiring, internet access and mobile phone coverage," New Zealand team's chef de mission Dave Currie said in a statement quoted by the Associated Press news agency.</p> <p>"We will now be advising sports that the accommodation is less than expected."</p> <p>Preparations for the event have been overshadowed by allegations of corruption and mismanagement. There have also been delays in construction and fears over security.</p> News Page #24635 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100 Richardson appointed National Event Coach for Pole Vault http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94c985c584f9e4121626512.png" alt="Richardson appointed National Event Coach for Pole Vault" /></p><h3>Tuesday 21st September 2010</h3> <p>LOUGHBOROUGH-based Alan Richardson, an IAAF Academy member and Level 5 ‘Elite Jumps Coach’ has been appointed as UKA’s National Event Coach for Pole Vault.</p> <p>Richardson, currently an England Athletics National Coach Mentor for Pole Vault and Jumps, will be based at UKA’s National Performance Centre in Loughborough and will provide full time dedicated coaching to individual athletes or groups of athletes as directed by the Olympic Head Coach.</p> <p>In addition, Richardson will work alongside Kevin Tyler, UKA’s Strategic Head of Coaching and Development, Home Countries National Coach Mentors and UKA Development Coaches toprovide leadership in technical methodology, coaching development and event development programmes.</p> <p>A UKA Achieving Excellence in Coaching Programme member and UKA Level 4 Pole Vault coach, Richardson is personal coach to five of the UK’s top ten male senior pole vaulters and the second-equal ranked female. Six of his athletes have been selected for this year’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi.</p> News Page #24636 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100 Your chance to meet double European champion Mo Farah at the Leicester 5km http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94c935d12555b0364404612.jpg" alt="Your chance to meet double European champion Mo Farah at the Leicester 5km" /></p><h3>Friday 17th September 2010</h3> <p>DOUBLE European champion Mo Farah will be starting the Annual Leicester Stars/KORT 5km Family Fun Run that takes place at Victoria Park on Sunday 26th September.</p> <p>The event also features a charity bazaar that opens at 11am until 5pm consisting of a range of stalls including, jewellery, clothes, bags, refreshments, Krispy Kremes etc. There are lots of children's activities, bouncy castle, games and more.</p> <p>Fun Run registration 1pm – race starts at 2pm. £10/single entry or £20 for whole family.</p> <p>Mo will be signing T-shirts. All monies raised will go to the orphan children.</p> <p>In August at the Barcelona SPAR European Championships Mo Farah became the first British athlete in history to win the 10,000m and 5,000m double and followed those gold medal winning performances by breaking Dave Moorcroft’s long-standing UK 5,000m record with a time of 12:57.94 at the Diamond League meeting in Zurich.</p> <p><h4> For further information contact: Ali Latif - 07931223616 or Saneey – 07728328751. <br /> Or visit the website: <a href="http://www.kort.org.uk" rel="popup">www.kort.org.uk</a></h4> </p> News Page #24622 Sat, 18 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100 Lemoncello and Hallissey to represent GB at world half marathon championships http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94c90b80cb54c1841964121.png" alt="Lemoncello and Hallissey to represent GB at world half marathon championships" /></p><h3>Wednesday 15th September 2010</h3> <p>ANDREW Lemoncello and Claire Hallissey have been named in the Great Britain team for next month's IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Nanning, China.</p> <p>The United States-based duo will be looking to improve on their top-30 performances in last year's event when the race takes place on October 16th.</p> <p>Ian Stewart, UK Athletics head of endurance, said: "Andrew and Claire have been committed to increasing their mileage in recent years and both athletes have proved they can deliver solid performances over this distance within world-class fields.</p> <p>"We respect the fact that a number of athletes made themselves unavailable for selection, and others are focusing on the Commonwealth Games, but I'm confident that both athletes we have selected will perform well in Nanning."</p> <p><h4><a href="http://www.iaaf.org/whm10/index.html" rel="popup">www.iaaf.org/whm10/index.html</a></h4> </p> News Page #24616 Thu, 16 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100 Recruitment begins for London Olympics volunteers http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94c907fc0857a5647516833.png" alt="Recruitment begins for London Olympics volunteers" /></p><h3>Wednesday 15th September 2010</h3> <p>ORGANISERS for the 2012 London Olympic Games have started the recruitment process for 70,000 volunteers.</p> <p>Two-thirds of volunteers will serve in general roles such as welcome desk staff, ticket checkers, drivers and stewards.</p> <p>The initial volunteer programme, launched July 27th, was for 'specialist' volunteers in sports, medical, anti-doping and press operations.</p> <p>Volunteers must be at least 18-years-old January 1st, 2012. They must be available for a minimum of 10 days during either the Olympics or Paralympics and for at least three days of training.</p> <p>A separate search for 1,500 volunteers under 18 will be unveiled in July 2011.</p> <p><h4>The application process will close October 27th and people who are interested can log on to <a href="http://www.london2012.com/volunteering" rel="popup">www.london2012.com/volunteering</a> for more information.</h4> </p> News Page #24615 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100 GB's Barcelona heroes nominated for European Athlete of the Year Awards http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94c8f269d11104019282546.gif" alt="GB's Barcelona heroes nominated for European Athlete of the Year Awards" /></p><h3>Tuesday 14th September 2010</h3> <p>FIVE of Great Britain's continental champions have been nominated for the 2010 European Athlete of the Year presented by MONDO.</p> <p>They are led by Dai Greene (400m hurdles), the Welshman riding on a highly successful season the Briton bagged the gold medal in Barcelona with an emphatic win in a European-leading and a personal best time of 48.12. He further improved his personal best to 47.88 during his win at the Continental Cup in Split.</p> <p>Mo Farah (5000 & 10,000m) produced a stunning double, winning gold in the 5000m and 10,000m in Barcelona. Farah won the European Cup 10000m race in Marseille with a personal best of 27:28.86 and followed it up with an equally emphatic win in the 5,000m in Bergen at the SPAR European Team Championships. He also set a British 5000m record of 12:57.94 at the Diamond League meeting in Zurich.</p> <p>Phillips Idowu (triple jump), the 2009 European Athlete of the Year delivers when it matters most; once again he was in his element in winning gold in Barcelona with a personal best of 17.81m.</p> <p>Jessica Ennis (heptathlon) imperious run of form continued in Barcelona and she bagged the heptathlon gold medal, mustering a career best and world leading 6823 points. Won the pentathlon gold in Doha with a personal best and championships record of 4937 points.</p> <p>Hayley Yelling (cross country), the 36-year-old scripted a fairytale comeback after a year-long hiatus to clinch her second women’s senior title at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Dublin in a time of 27.49.</p> <p>The online poll to choose the winners is now open, with voting taking place on the European Athletics website until 27th September 2010.<br /> The list was compiled by selecting the top European athlete in each event, based on performances at the European Athletics Championships, World Indoor Championships, European Athletics events and the series of Diamond League and European Athletics meetings. Only in very exceptional cases are two athletes from one event nominated.</p> <p>The winners of the European Athlete of the Year will be decided by votes from the general public, media, European Athletics Member Federations and an expert panel, with the results from each group of voters counting for one quarter of the athlete's final score. Each voter must select their five preferred athletes and rank them in order of priority.</p> <p>Members of the public who have voted for the top three male and female athletes in the correct order in the poll will be automatically entered into a draw to win a three-night trip for two to the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Paris. There will also be some runners-up prizes.</p> <p>Speaking about the award, European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz said: "The year 2010 was another exciting one for athletics in Europe, highlighted by the spectacular European Athletics Championships in Barcelona.</p> <p>“Europe once again demonstrated that it is the dominant force in world athletics by winning the IAAF Continental Cup in Split, but of course there is still room for improvement.</p> <p>"To be nominated for the best athlete in Europe is a huge honour and one that is greatly valued by the athletes. However, I must stress that European Athletics has always held a very strong line against doping and any athlete who has previously served a two-year doping ban has been omitted from the list of nominations."</p> <p>Triple jumper Teddy Tamgho of France and discus star Sandra Perkovic of Croatia are nominated in both the Athlete of the Year and Rising Star categories because of their high achievements in what has been their breakthrough year.</p> <p>The winners of European Athlete of the Year presented by MONDO will be invited to collect their awards during the European Athletics Convention in Belgrade, Serbia, on Saturday 16th October.</p> <p>The European Athlete of the Year award was introduced by European Athletics in 1993 and this year is the 18th time the trophy will be awarded.</p> <p><h4>To vote click on the following link: <a href="http://www.european-athletics.org/european-athletics-awards-night/european-athlete-of-the-year-nominations-for-2010.html" rel="popup">www.european-athletics.org/european-athletics-awards-night/european-athlete-of-the-year-nominations-for-2010.html</a></h4> </p> News Page #24609 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100 London to stage sprints and hurdles conference http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94c89e3319cfc6895311378.jpg" alt="London to stage sprints and hurdles conference" /></p><h3>Friday 10th September 2010</h3> <p>UK Athletics have announced that it will host the inaugural European Sprints and Hurdles Conference, with the support of England Athletics, the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund and European Athletics, in London (Heathrow) on 13th-14th November.</p> <p>The event builds on the success of the UKA/England Athletics Coaching Masterclass Series – which most recently included event-specific seminars over the course of the Aviva London Grand Prix weekend in August - and continues the exceptional coach development opportunities on offer in the UK with an impressive roll call of world class speakers.</p> <p>Already confirmed are internationally renowned sport scientist Dr Ralph Mann, Director of USA Track & Field’s Elite Athlete Sprint and Hurdle Programme, and UK-based coaches Malcolm Arnold and Dan Pfaff.</p> <p>Mann, an authority in the field of sport biomechanics, has become a leader in performance analysis and developed the concept of Model Performance in sports movements, a programme now used to provide over 50 elite US sprinters and hurdlers with on-track performance feedback four times per year.</p> <p>Arnold, who most recently coached David Greene and Rhys Williams to the podium in this year’s European Athletics Championships 400m hurdles, is UKA’s National Event Coach for hurdles. He has coached numerous athletes to Olympic, world and European titles including former 110m hurdles world record holder Colin Jackson.</p> <p>Pfaff, coach to European Athletics Championships silver medallist Christian Malcolm, is UKA’s National Performance Centre Director at Lee Valley in London and has coached over 70 athletes – including former Olympic champion and 100m world record holder Donovan Bailey - to Olympic Games and World Championships.</p> <p>The conference will be the third in this year’s European Athletics Coaching Summit Series. Member Federations can use scholarships offered by European Athletics to cover the costs of sending coaches to attend. For more information click here.</p> <p>Kevin Tyler, UKA’s Strategic Head of Coaching and Development, said: “In our Year of the Coach, we’re delighted to announce the inaugural European Athletics Sprints and Hurdles Conference, a partnership between several organisations working together to communicate some of the best coaching practice and current information to British and European coaches.</p> <p>“In addition to the keynote speeches and breakout sessions, we will be hosting a dinner on the Saturday night to acknowledge the support of the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund. Not only does that support enable many UK coaches to attend this event, but following the successful World Class Jumps and Throws Conferences previously held in Loughborough, it ensures that his legacy in the coaching development field continues. We look forward to seeing you there.”</p> <h4>Booking details will be published on www.uka.org.uk/coaching from Friday 17th September and additional speakers will be confirmed in due course.</p> <p>The other European Athletics Coaching Summit Series conference confirmed for this autumn is the European Walks Conference in Leeds, England, on 6th-7th November.</h4> News Page #24590 Sat, 11 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100 Turner to captain Team England at Great North City Games http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94c8889ae4a870083223824.jpg" alt="Turner to captain Team England at Great North City Games" /></p><h3>Thursday 9th September 2010</h3> <p>ANDY Turner is to captain Team England at the upcoming Great North City Games in Newcastle against Australia, this having won the European 110m hurdles title in Barcelona last month with his 13.28secs clocking.</p> <p>The 29-year-old Loughborough graduate reflecting on his gold medal winning performance commented, “I'm just so happy, it's been a tough two years but I've been chipping away and working hard, all those lows have finally been worth it. I can forget about that now.”</p> <p>Having silenced his critics by succeeding in the event Turner is now a role model of what hard work, passion, and patience can achieve. And now, poised to take on his country’s captaincy ahead of the Commonwealth Games in October.</p> <p>“Competing for your country is always exciting, but to captain an England Team competing on home soil is extra special. I'll ensure my team is fired up for this head-to-head match against a nation we always want to beat,” Turner said.</p> <p>England comfortably won the inaugural event on the Gateshead quayside in 2009 but are likely to face a much stronger Australian team this time.</p> <h4>The Great North City Games will be shown live on BBC One Saturday 18th September from 1.00pm.</h4> News Page #24588 Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100 Callum Priestley drugs ban - Press release from the athlete http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94c81f0fc6e04e226488159.jpg" alt="Callum Priestley drugs ban - Press release from the athlete" /></p><h3>Saturday 4th September 2010</h3> <p>IN January of this year, 21 year old Callum Priestley, one of the UK’s top two sprint hurdlers, had his Olympic dreams shattered after he failed a drugs test.</p> <p>This Friday, the National Anti-Doping Panel is expected to announce UK Athletics (UKA) are banning him from taking part in any UK regulated athletics or sports activities for two years, and will never again be eligible to participate in the Olympics.</p> <p>Priestley falls foul of UKA’s rigid regulations that sweep innocent athletes into the same net as known drug cheats, and consequently limit our country’s medal opportunities.</p> <p>“I’ve never for a second considered taking drugs – I’ve worked really hard to reach this level and I think drug cheats are jeopardising their own lives and careers let alone those around them. It’s just too stupid a risk to take.” Callum says. “I’m really shattered I can’t participate in a sport I love, but I’m also totally frustrated in the lack of any official support to try and find an explanation for the failed drug test.”</p> <p>Callum had been participating in warm weather training in South Africa - one of a select group of Olympic hopefuls flown there by UKA in January 2010. During the stay, he and a number of fellow competitors fell ill with severe symptoms of food poisoning.</p> <p>A few days later, still suffering the effects of his illness, Priestley was selected for an out-of-competition drugs test. A few weeks later the test was confirmed as positive for Clenbuterol – a banned substance that can be used to burn fat, but is also known to be illegally used by farmers to promote growth of their livestock.</p> <p>Outbreaks of Clenbuterol poisoning have been reported in countries such as Spain, Italy, France, China, Mexico, Vietnam and Hong Kong. The symptoms suffered by Callum in South Africa, and diagnosed by a UKA doctor who attended to him, were consistent with the symptoms of Clenbuterol poisoning, though he was initially diagnosed with Viral Gastro-Enteritis in the absence of any blood tests.</p> <p>No blood or other tests were carried out on any athletes at the Stellenbosch training camp, to determine the cause of the food poisoning.</p> <p>“I think not to test us to trace the food poisoning was a mistake that has pretty well cost me a chance to represent Britain in the Olympics. All I can think about is that there was Clenbuterol in the food we ate. There are cases of proven food poisoning by Clenbuterol round the world, but without tests at the time nobody can prove it either way. I’d never even heard of Clenbuterol before the result came through” Callum states.</p> <p>South Africa is also one of only two countries worldwide that permits the use of a drug called Zilpaterol in the farming industry which promotes the growth of animal stock. Zilpaterol sits alongside Clenbuterol, both powerful beta-adrenergic agonists, and both prohibited for athletes under Section 1 of the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) Prohibited List as anabolic agents. Clenbuterol is considered to be considerably more effective than Zilpaterol but despite being banned in the farming industry worldwide due to the side effects it causes humans, there is still evidence of its use by farmers today1,2,3.</p> <p>Callum’s initial response to the positive test was: “At first, this result came as a total shock to me, but I am not a drugs cheat, so I assumed there would be a logical explanation for it and that UK Athletics would be as keen as I was to find out how on earth it came to be in my body.”</p> <p>In early communications with Callum and his family, UKA and UKAD, the UK’s anti-doping authority, said they were there to support the athlete. However, after weeks of trying to work with them, the family began to question why UKAD and UKA were not being as clear and direct with the support they claimed to offer. “It wasn’t until the end of March that we were told in no uncertain terms by a representative of UKAD that due to the nature of anti-doping proceedings, UKA and UKAD were not in a position to assist in investigations.</p> <p>After failing to investigate what happened whilst Priestley was at its training camp, the Athletics body will effectively end his career this Friday as the British Olympic Association is one of the few National Olympic Committees in the world that imposes lifetime Olympic bans on any of its athletes sanctioned for committing an anti-doping rule violation, no matter what the circumstances.</p> <p>Callum and his parents, both teachers, were left to fend for themselves in trying to determine how the substance came to be found in his sample. They had to develop from scratch an understanding of the science of toxicological investigations into food additives and the nutritional supplements athletes use. Months of trawling the internet, expensive dispatches to specialist laboratories in the USA and correspondence with consultants, lawyers and doctors have left the family exhausted and drained from the experience. Callum’s parents were faced with no option but to take on a specialist lawyer as UKAD made it very difficult for the parents to access information needed.</p> <p>“Callum has worked so hard over the years to achieve what he has, giving up so much of his teenage years, even leaving Loughborough Uni at the request of UKA to train in London. “ says his mother, Cavelle. “We have supported him every step of the way. He has used his talent and combined it with incredible hard work to get here.”</p> <p>Callum’s father John added: “I know there are drug cheats out there, but what about those who have no idea how a banned substance came to be in their bodies? Where’s the support for people like Callum, who is presumed guilty and where the chances of seeking the evidence to prove otherwise has long gone. It is not feasible to conduct an investigation into the contamination of meat in South Africa from the UK several months after the event.”</p> <p>Cavelle adds: “UKAD has not supported us in establishing the truth. The laboratories they recommended said they wouldn’t undertake our analysis as there would be a ‘conflict of interest’ between Callum’s request and UKAD, who was also a client of theirs. UKAD also recommended a lawyer to us - he turned out to be a specialist in commercial property. This unsupportive system makes you want to give up and I know many innocent athletes do. We were thankfully put in touch with Michele Verroken and then Mike Morgan, who were like two shining lights in the darkness”</p> <p>Michele Verroken, former head of UK Sports Anti-Doping agency and now an international consultant on anti-doping policies, made this comment on Priestley’s predicament:</p> <p>“Anti-Doping systems seem to be truly lacking in any ability to determine real doping issues from those arising from the duty of care that should be shown to athletes who put so much trust in the sports system to do right by them. Other athletes I have worked with have felt that anger and frustration at the way the elite sport and anti-doping systems let them down. It is a natural response, and following that could be a determination to show the athletics world that the decision could be wrong or those athletes are simply lost to the sporting world.</p> <p>Responsible organisations should be, at least, taking steps to ensure that athletes at training camps such as Stellenbosch are not at risk, that nutritional advisers are not the catalyst of risky supplement use. Sports should be in immediate contact with athletes who have fallen foul of the strict liability doping rules, to assess if they are victims of unintentional administration of prohibited substances and to offer opportunities to reintroduce those athletes to the sport again following any period of suspension. Life bans should still be applied to those who cheat.”</p> <p>The Sports lawyer, Mike Morgan, who is taking on a number of similar cases worldwide, said: “The circumstances of this case - i.e. possible meat contamination- should compel anti-doping authorities to investigate the risk to athletes of training and competing in countries in which prohibited substances are used to rear animal stock.</p> <p>We are working very hard at the moment trying to develop a pooled athlete defence fund for cases like this. Part of the fund would ideally be allocated to research, in order to carry out necessary investigations into issues like this to ensure that athletes are not inadvertently put at risk. I hope that in future we may eventually be able to prevent cases like this from arising in the first place.”</p> <p>Callum reflects: “I may have lost out from this as my severe food poisoning was not fully analysed or diagnosed. I can’t understand why the athletics governing body didn’t test us after several of us were affected by food poisoning to see what might have been the cause? I just hope for the sake of other athletes that those are issues that UK Athletics and UK Anti-Doping will examine seriously on conclusion of these proceedings.”</p> <p>Directing her concluding comments to Priestley, Verroken said: “Importantly Callum – remember you know the truth, this decision has failed to find the truth, and has reached a convenient administrative conclusion.”</p> <p>1 Clenbuterol food poisoning, meat - Mexico: Biomedical Technology Epidemiology and Food Safety June 2010 <h4><a href="http://centaur.vri.cz.web.atin.cz/docs/cnfi/2010-07-07-153.pdf" rel="popup">http://centaur.vri.cz.web.atin.cz/docs/cnfi/2010-07-07-153.pdf</a></h4> </p> <p>2 Clenbuterol residues in pig muscle after repeat administration in a growth-promoting dose, The American Meat Science Association Published by Elsevier Ltd. June 2010</p> <p>3 BioLabLibrary cites 63 scientific papers on clenbuterol food poisoning <h4><a href="http://lib.bioinfo.pl/meid:232956/citpmid/pmi" rel="popup">http://lib.bioinfo.pl/meid:232956/citpmid/pmi</a></h4> </p> News Page #24493 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100 Farah to miss Commonwealths http://www.athleticsontrack.com/news.html <p><img src="http://www.athleticsontrack.com/uploads/94c80e8026a6c9043848461.jpg" alt="Farah to miss Commonwealths" /></p><h3>Friday 3rd September 2010</h3> <p>MO Farah has withdrawn from October's Commonwealth Games to take a break after his gold-medal winning performances at the European Championships.</p> <p>Farah, who won gold for Great Britain in both the 5,000m and 10,000m in Barcelona, is going to rest up instead of representing Team England in Delhi.</p> <p>Farah commenting on his decision said: "I had a great 2010 season and my body is telling me that it is time to take a break from training and racing.</p> <p>"I have been competing since the start of the year at cross-country, road and track and feel that I need a few weeks off now to let my body recover so that I can start winter training fit and healthy.</p> <p>"Over the past few weeks I have been getting a few niggles, nothing serious but enough to tell me to ease back.</p> <p>"I was looking forward to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi but after the success I had this year I am happy to call it a season.</p> <p>"I look forward to the 2011 World Championships in Daegu and the 2012 Olympic Games in my home city of London.</p> <p>"I came close to getting a medal in the past two World Championships and hope that I can continue to improve over the next few years."</p> <p>Farah won 10,000m gold ahead of fellow Brit Chris Thompson in Barcelona and then clinched a the double four days later in the 5,000m final.</p> <p>Last month he became the first British athlete in history to run under 13 minutes for the 5,000m by breaking David Moorcroft's 28-year-old record at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Zurich.</p> News Page #24490 Sun, 05 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100