HERE’S THIS MONTH’S collection of short takes on generally off-track activities that have gone/will go a long way towards shaping the way the sport is headed.
HERE’S THIS MONTH’S collection of short takes on generally off-track activities that have gone/will go a long way towards shaping the way the sport is headed.
No Senior Year For Engelhardt
She’s breaking HS records already this winter, but Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura, California) says she’s done with prep competition. Last year’s scholastic AOY, who signed an NIL deal with New Balance in September, will compete on the pro circuit this year.
“I just get really excited thinking about other open races and pro races that I could do, because that is my favorite part — running those races,” she told her local paper.
“I felt like I kind of did everything I wanted to do in high school. Since my freshman year, when I did my first pro race, that was the most fun I had had racing. I could race more strategically and there were more people around me. It felt like an actual race.”
She clarified that while she did not feel limited by the program at Ventura, she did feel limited by state association rules, which would require her to compete in only CIF-sanctioned events for a 5-week stretch leading up to the State Meet.
A Weakening Of CAS’s Power?
Since its founding in ’84, the Court Of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has been the last word in international sports disputes. Appeals have been rare, because they can only go to the Swiss Federal Tribunal on certain procedural issues.
Now an opinion from advocate general Tamara Capeta of the European Union’s Court of Justice questions whether CAS should have the last word. In a case that started in ’15 in the soccer world, she stated that if an individual’s rights are infringed, “the constitutional system of the European Union grants that individual the right to effective judicial protection.” She added that CAS rulings must be open to “full judicial review.”
That, it would seem, would mean that members of the EU would be able to appeal CAS decisions to European courts. If the CJEU confirms Capeta’s opinion in the coming months, it may have an earthshaking effect on the CAS process.
Bermuda Parts Ways With USATF
USATF’s Bermuda GP is no more, as the Bermuda Tourist Authority has withdrawn its support of the annual event, which had been held since ‘22. In its 3-year run, the televised event attracted some top athletes.
3-time Olympian Hazel Clark had been one of the major movers of the event as the BTA’s director of global business development and partnerships, but she resigned from that post in December.
She said, “The Bermuda Grand Prix remains one of my proudest achievements from my time with the BTA, where I had the privilege of helping bring this vision to existence… The Bermuda Grand Prix was a testament to the unifying power of sports and the vibrancy of Bermuda’s community.”
Legal Problems For Kerley?
Fred Kerley has not made an appearance on the indoor circuit as yet this year, an understandable situation given the tangle of legal troubles he is currently enmeshed in. It all started on January 02, when he got into an altercation with police in Miami Beach. They exchanged words before things got physical. Kerley was wrestled to the ground and tased before being arrested.
Shortly afterward, Miami police filed charges against Kerley for an unrelated incident from last May, when his estranged wife said that an argument led to him strangling her.
Kerley is charged with pushing a police officer and resisting arrest and also with strangling his wife and stealing her cell phone. He has pled not guilty in both pending cases and is free while he awaits his next court appearance.
GST Takes To The Airwaves
Grand Slam Track has announced it has signed a broadcast agreement with the CW Network, NBC and Peacock.
The long-awaited deal has Peacock live-streaming all events, while the CW Network will be the broadcast home of GST. NBC will air a highlights special on May 10.
Says GST founder Michael Johnson, “We’re delighted to finally be able to announce this incredibly exciting broadcast and streaming partnership to all our fans in the United States… We were determined to make sure that Grand Slam Track would be seen by millions of fans across the country, and we’re delighted to be delivering on that promise.”
Restrictions On Trans Performers
The day after President Trump’s administration signed an executive order banning trans performers from women’s sports, the NCAA followed suit, limiting sports participation for athletes born male to men’s teams only.
Said NCAA president Charlie Baker, “We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard.”
A week later, the Department Of Education issued a letter demanding that the NCAA and high school associations “correct the records for all women’s competitions to reflect and honor the achievements of female student-athletes, and return to female athletes the titles, awards, and recognitions they earned and deserve.”
Coe’s Athlete-Pay Move Revisited
WA chief Seb Coe got plenty of pushback when he delivered cash prizes worth $50,000 to athletics gold medalists in Paris. He says now, “In hindsight I would have done it in a different way.”
However, according to one survey, the public is strongly in favor of athletes getting a share of the money that the Olympic movement generates. A poll of 3000 people from Australia, France and the United States showed that 65% felt that the IOC should engage in revenue sharing with athletes.
Similar numbers backed athletes having a greater say in decisions that affect their careers, such as being able to promote their personal sponsors at the Olympic Games.
Thomas’s Problem With Close Followers
Gabby Thomas says she has been stalked and harassed by a group of 3-6 middle-aged men at airports who have showed up in various cities and always seem to know her travel plans.
“They show up at the front door of the airport at the correct concourse, or they show up at my gate, which means they have flight tickets and get past security. What scares me is that they have my flight information, even when I don’t even know what time I’m flying out sometimes. I don’t tell anyone my flight information. I’ve changed all my e-mail passwords. I don’t know if they’re hacking me.”
Thomas, who has made these revelations via TikTok, has since been able to identify two of the stalkers and has said she is going to police with the information. “I am definitely safe. I am taking steps to secure my safety when I travel… I definitely do want to see repercussions for what is going on.”
Red Ink In Indianapolis?
A report issued at the end of the year suggests that USATF is facing financial difficulties. The organization ran a $5.6M deficit in ’23. That, in fact, marked a moderate improvement over ’22, when the organization lost $6.7 million. However, it went from $8.53M in assets at the end of ’21 to negative-$4.93M at the end of ’23.
The USATF’s financial statement characterized the losses as “one-off operational expenses,” adding, “This includes residual obligations related to 2022 World Athletics Championships, including expenses related to the 2023 Diamond League Final; prepayment of housing for coaches and team staff for the 2024 Olympic Games; expenses related to training facility track improvements for the 2024 Olympic Games; significant increase in insurance costs without concomitant increases in member fees; legal fees related to unplanned litigation; and the USATF Grand Prix series.”
Having a World Championships on U.S. soil proved expensive, with USATF spending $7.75 million on Eugene (as opposed to $1.46 million to bring the team to Budapest the next year).
The report adds, “Management and the board of directors have introduced a range of revenue-generating and cost-cutting initiatives to address its financial position as part of its post-2024 Olympic Games and 2025 business strategy.”
USATF & Para Nationals Join Forces
USATF has announced that its national championship meet will now be held in conjunction with the Para national championships, sure to be a model for the future now that the organization has brought the Paralympic program under its umbrella.
Says USATF head Max Siegel, “We are thrilled to host the USATF Para National Championships concurrently with the USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field for the first time. This historic event underscores USATF’s commitment to providing equal opportunities for all elite track and field athletes.”
Olympic long jump champion Tara Davis-Woodhall is also thrilled. Husband Hunter Woodhall won a Paralympic gold medal in the 400 last summer. The two posted, “For the first time in history. US Paralympic Trials and Able Body champs will be under the same roof. We haven’t competed at the same championship since 2019 in college. Unbelievably grateful, see you all in Eugene. Time to make history.”
New WA Stance On Gender?
Taking steps to tighten the criteria for female participation, WA says that it is proposing new guidelines to “reflect latest developments in science, sport and law.” A stakeholder consultation period is set to go through March 05, and then the new guidelines may be officially adopted at the March meeting of the WA Council.
The guidelines place athletes assigned female at birth but who have higher testosterone levels (i.e., DSD) in the same category as transgender athletes who were born male. They also eliminate exceptions for transgender athletes who transition to female before puberty. A cheek swab will be required of females to test for the presence of the male Y chromosome. The WA working group also said it is considering forward initiatives to support elite gender diverse XY athletes.
Tougher rules on female participation have been a hallmark of Seb Coe’s campaign to be head of the IOC. Says Coe, “While our current Eligibility Regulations for DSD and Transgender athletes are robust and based on the science available at the time of our last consultation, several scientific developments in this field have emerged since then and it is our role, as the global governing body for athletics, to ensure that our guidelines keep up with the latest information available to maintain a fair and level-playing field.”
Not Buddies With WADA
The relationship between the U.S. and WADA continues to grow worse, as the U.S. has not paid the $3.6 million due in ’24 to the global anti-doping agency. The funds are normally disbursed by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
The dispute began with USADA’s dissatisfaction with how WADA handled the doping cases of a group of Chinese swimmers.
The penalty for not paying dues is that the U.S. will not have representation on WADA’s decision-making panels. That would sideline whomever the next U.S. drug czar is, as the position has traditionally come with a seat on the WADA executive committee.
Said outgoing drug czar Rahil Gupta, “WADA must take concrete actions to restore trust in the world anti-doping system and provide athletes the full confidence they deserve,” he said. “When U.S. taxpayer dollars are allocated, we must ensure full accountability and it is our responsibility to ensure those funds are used appropriately.”
It is yet unclear whether the White House office will survive the massive changes in the federal government with the second President Trump administration, along with the threatened withdrawal from various international organizations. ◻︎
