05/06/2009 Seventeen year old Carmarthen Harrier Dewi Griffiths ran the 10,000 metres race in Neath on Wednesday 3 June in 30.30.2, which was almost ten seconds inside the qualification time for consideration for the GB and NI junior team to compete in this year’s European championships

04/06/2009 Sport has always said it is above politics and therefore politics should not affect Games like the Olympics- so any country should not be blocked to compete.

That's bollocks in my Opinion. China should never have been given the Olympic Games- so they sort of let journalists in, but have clamped down again remember "In Beijing, police sealed off Tiananmen Square for the anniversary with foreign journalists barred from the area." So it really worked giving them the Games. The totalitarian Government don't give a toss. North Korea, cosy friends of China care less either.

Personally I would also ban Israel as well for a while until it wakes up and realise that they are the invaders of Palestine and should just back off on developing new settlements in the Holy Land.

If the Olympic's core statement is " "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well." then that's the root of the problem.

Can't find that in their current statement but there is this clause 4 "4. to cooperate with the competent public or private organisation's and authorities in the endeavour to place sport at the service of humanity and thereby to promote peace;"

Now that's the clause we need examining-and the one that could be used to prevent Countries competing.

Blocking South Africa from competing in the 1980's may be helped with the radical changes that happened in tha country.

Sport can help, but not by being wet.

04/06/2009 How many WR holders were not Drug tested- or indeed have all European and GB Record Holders all been tested at the time of the record. Interesting question- any-one have the answer ?

04/06/2009 Email received"I have to partly disagree with European Athletics! The point to point issue is relevant and prevents his performance being recognised a European record/best performance. Drug testing as a mandatory part of certifying a record was only introduced in the late 80's so Nick Rose was probably not tested after his run.

It is comparitively recent for road performances to be ratified as records - they were always regarded as best performances because of the variety of courses. They now have to pass stringent measurement checks, limited rise and fall and an out and back course. Plus they have to have drug testing for European and World records (and possibly British records). None of these requirements were in place for Nick Rose's race and so it is just a best performance."

So if above is the case was Mo Farah Dope tested after his run and did it comply with all the checks ?

04/06/2009 More re Nick Rose "it doesnt have anything to do with the point to point issue. There are many differenct criteria that must be adhered to for performances to be ratified as records. In this case road records (previously best performances) are only just being checked against these from decades past. The reason that the performance by Nick Rose has not been ratified is that there was no drug testing. Officially it is not an European Record! We are aware that the IAAF lists it as a European record but in reality it is only a best performance and therefore GB are probably adhering to the same criteria for a record!".

Thanks to European Athletics, who are always helpful. Their site is a mine of Information and nEws, well worth checking out.

01/06/2009

9

31/05/2009 So a U turn on the Youth Elite Athlete concept it seems-lets hope it happens. The next stage is that all involved in the sport should demand that the various regional bodies- UK Athletics, England Athletics, Scottish, Welsh Athletics and Northern Ireland publish minutes of Board meetings and subcommittee meetings. At the moment they are exempt from FOI enquiries, though I have raised this issue with the FOI office. They will lose there position, because they are exempt by oversight, not for a purpose. So they might as well publish now, because otherwise they will face a series of FOI enquiries that might be more embarrassing.

So if they have nothing to hide, which I am sure they do not have, publish now or be damned. They must all realise that they are predominately funded by the UK Tax payer (the Organisation's that is) and are therefore accountable to the Members and Tax payer. I would suggest any one interested in the way the Sport administration works in the UK lobbies their Club reps to demand that all minutes of any Board or Committee meeting are published within 14 days of the meeting . All clubs should do the same. We need greater transparency in the sport.

30/05/2009 Email received from Nick Rose " Hi Charles,
from what i understand, for record purposes, the race must start and finish within so many metres and as New Orleans was point to point it is not fit for record purposes. However this is only my understanding.
Regards,
Nick Rose"

I think that probably answers the question in words I can understand.

30/05/2009 One of the Largest School meets in the USA is underway.

30/05/2008 Email received"The job specification for the post of Head Coach is just what we need and represents an about turn by UKA. Welsh Athletics, perhaps with some reluctance, have followed the UKA one stop plan for the past 3 years and naively went down a performance management route that ignored coaching as an essential part of the development of our sport. Niels de Vos has said he has had an "Ear bending" over the issue of coaching as have Matt Newman and others within Welsh Athletics. Finally, we may get the Head Coach and coaching policies that our sport in Wales is desperate for - or will we?

I hope everything will work out and we get the right person but I hear one of the reasons it has been re-advertised is because UKA have asked for the appointment to be delayed. With a decision being made soon about reducing the number of HiPACs resulting in a loss of staff it maybe that they want to offer staff the chance to apply for the Head Coach position in Wales.

My main concern is not that a former member of the UKA staff may not be a good appointment but that UKA may wield a little too much influence on who is appointed. Will this be a Welsh Athletics appointment, a joint UKA/WA appointment or a UKA led appointment? I hope it is not the latter as it signals a possible bias away from the grassroots of our sport and perhaps a lack of understanding of volunteer coaches and local issues. We must have someone who can operate fairly across all levels and stand up for the best interests of Welsh coaches and not dictate down to them from above.

Maybe these concerns are unfounded but I feel they should be aired as a reminder to Welsh Athletics to do what's best for Wales."

30/05/2009The Super 8 at Cardiff looks like fun on 10 June- why it is a final selection meet I am unclear,but if I can get there will do-some interesting athletes competing, if they all turn up .Short Form athletics was my idea years ago-though I am sure others had thought of it,just never published. If I attend I will twitter away.Watch the twitter space.

29/05/2009 WAA Job going-VACANCY: Head of Coaching - apply now!

"Welsh Athletics is seeking to appoint a high-calibre individual to the role of Head of Coaching. This new post has arisen from the restructuring of UK Athletics and a realignment of the coaching structures within Welsh Athletics. It recognises the vital role that coaches play in sustaining and improving athletes at all levels across the country.Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and working in close partnership with UK Athletics, the successful candidate will shape and implement the coach and athlete development strategy and create and lead a national coaching team who will support talented coaches and their athletes in each event at all levels.

Critical to the success of this strategy is that coaching best practice is promoted at all levels of the sport and not restricted to the elite tier. Effective mentoring, communication, team working, team leadership, planning, organising and strategic thinking skills are essential to achieving the results desired from this high-profile role. We are seeking a person with the vision, energy, passion and commitment to drive the sport forward; a person who recognises and values the contribution that both volunteer and paid coaches make to the on-going success of our sport."

Matt ,Diolch yn fawr iawn (thank you very much)- you have grasped the concept that Welsh Athletics is not about just the elite.

29/05/2009 I have grasped the concept-must be thick. So when the monks said run from the House back to the House that was different than saying run from the House to the Pub-even though distances then same.

29/05/2009 "Just to clarify the 10k road record. Nick ran from a different start to where the finish was (point to point) as opposed to an out and back course. Running the latter means that the rise and fall of the course is equalled out and it avoids a ‘wind assisted’ run, perhaps slightly downhill as could be the case with a point to point course."

If you can understand this, fine-I know now I should stick to Track and Field. A simple 400m track and a field in the middle.

29/05/2009 I have been advised that Nick Rose ran point to Point over 10000m rather than a (i assume) a road that winds. Not sure I really grasp it, but assume like a 200m runner running straight rather than round a bend for the first 200m. So Rose the fastest but Mo will have the GB Road 10k record. Does any one know Nick Rose- like to hear his view?

28/05/2009 Mo Farah is reckoned to have run a Road 10k GB record in 27.50- why was Nick Rose time of 27.34 in New Orleans 1984 never Officially ratified as a British record? I would like to hear if any-one knows. Rose's time is down as the European Record-see IAAF, so would strange if was not also the GB record. Stats are stats after all, much as we all love Mo.

28/05/2009 Lets not forget Ireland " After battling it out at local and regional level, the best of Irish schools’ athletics talent will get set to compete at the highly anticipated All Ireland Schools Track & Field Final on Saturday, 30th May 2009 at Tullamore Harriers Stadium. This yearly event is the culmination of months of tough competition for schools’ athletes throughout Ireland, who have progressed through regional and provincial championships to secure their much sought after place in the All-Ireland final."

It is interesting to note that several young athletes from N.Ireland have elected to run for Ireland (under an agreement with both Countries) rather than GB&NI.

28/05/2009 Carmarthen Harriers should be appluaded for the prompt publication of Club meeting minutes-does any other club bother with publishing minutes of meetings?

28/05/2009 So an athlete who apparently threatened to run for Nigeria if she was not allowed to compete in the Olympics for GB after being banned for missing drug tests has got an MBE- words fail me.

25/05/2009 Has anyone details of "The Super 8 format is also designed to be adopted by schools where the curriculum makes the staging of a full scale athletics matches increasingly difficult. The two-hour format of Super 8 could be adopted for inter-class or inter-school competitions with boys and girls competing together in the same team."

Given this was an idea I floated years ago ( to some anti coments) I would be interested to hear of any sports body(School or local league)that has been approached. It would tie in with my idea that Schools should use Weds for Sports- maybe just the afternoons. I am aware of one Head who has already set aside Weds PM for sport- making sure that the PE team are not involved in school teaching, but available for School team sports.

I don't want credit for ideas, and probably just one of many who think about how to make athletics more attractive to kids- but no doubt this is the way forward.

If the curriculum chamged then the kids who do sports of a weds PM would not have to make up for missed lessons . It is not hard, the Gov just need to think sensibly.

24/05/2009 I have not had the pleasure of meeting Stephen Downes- wrote a nasty article about Linford Christie . Not sure what his problem is, I like Linford- he is a good guy and is doing more for the sport that an an ex-journalist has ever done. Maybe Mr Downes should look at what Linford and his friend Darren are doing for the sport.

UKA need more non-white people as officials.

22/05/2009 The list of athletes I think have got Welsh CG standards so far:

800m Chris Gowell
400H David Greene
400H Rhys Williams
HJ Rob Mitchell
PV Paul Walker
DT Brett Morse

HT Carys Parry
HT Laura Douglas

Corrections appreciated. Not a big team yet. I assume Christian Malcolm is also eligible for both 100m and 200m. Matt Ellias is looking good over 400m flat, so should be there as well- maybe flat not hurdles.

22/05/2009 Well its back to sport, and some thoughts.

Radical, but that's what we need some maverick thinking.Many Sports events happen at the w/e- certainly Athletics which I am involved in.Why not change the School week so that Weds is a designated Sports Day. The Loss of the Academic week could be made up by extending the other school days until 5.00pm, which would suit many working Parents.I am sure this would lead to more kids getting involved in Sport. I am suggesting that leagues etc which often happen on the w/e, which is not convenient for many Parents?Kids would be moved to Weds.

Increased participation in Sport for the good of all- both the sports and the general health of the young.Labour have totally failed in all their talks about increasing sporting activity at school level- this would achieve both participation and the development of talent for our National sports teams.

There might be issues about qualified Officials being available, but this could be resolved.

You can follow this on the forum-please join in, its not just a Welsh thing.

Still find it hard to beleive John Martyn has gone:

My baby girl
She's the sweetest in the whole wide world
She wears her hair way up in a curl
Just to show she's my very own baby girl.

She says: Daddy will you sing for me
Daddy try to swing for me
Daddy play your strings for me
She says: Daddy don't you cry for me
Daddy will you fly for me
Daddy will you try for me.

My little Miss Wisp
She makes my heart feel tight like a fist
A number one girl in most every way
When she pulls my strings, you've got to give her her say.

She says: Daddy will you sing for me
Daddy try to swing for me
Daddy play your strings for me
She says: Daddy don't you cry for me
Daddy will you fly for me
Daddy go and try for me.

My tiny dream
She makes me feel like a cat with her cream
She shines and bubbles like the clearest of streams
She makes me know it's not as bad as it sometimes seems.

She says: Daddy will you sing for me
Daddy try to swing for me
Daddy play your strings for me
She says: Daddy don't you cry for me
Daddy will you fly for me
Daddy go and try for me.

My baby girl
She's just my baby girl.

22/05/2009 A NEW Junior Athletics Academy for Yeovil aimed at encouraging young budding sports stars to reach their full potential has opened at Yeovil Athletics Arena.

Well its for a Mobile Phone Company , but one of my Favourite songs, and quite appropriate.

19/05/2009 My political bit- I am a member of Lib dems and a supporter of ERS. Life is about more than athletics occasionally No-one has paid me for this !!.

"So it seems we are to get a new speaker. Politicians on both sides of the House are fooling themselves if they think this act alone will right the boat and restore public confidence in our political process.“One Burnt Offering cannot change the culture at Westminster. The politicians, who seem so set on human sacrifice, have steered clear of the more difficult course - and that is genuine and deep reform of the Commons.“The country has been appalled by the behavior of our Honour able Members. And it is the people who must play a part in the solution. The expenses crisis has awakened voters to the need for radical change - that can only come by changing the rules of politics. We want to see a referendum on the voting system at the next general election so we can let the people decide the playing field for politics. The occupants of our safest seats need a reminder that real accountability begins and ends at the ballot box.

“In 1997 a new government came to power promising a new politics and a referendum on electoral reform. Twelve years and two elections later we’ve seen commitments watered down, pledges dropped and the full cost of unrestrained government and unaccountable MP's

“Change means more than a new set of faces and the same old politics. In 2009 Labour has its last chance to deliver. “

19/05/2009 Email received "North East Wales Schools qualifying competition for Welsh Schools/Schools International. Just so happens it clashes with Welsh Seniors/Commonwealth Qualifiers. OK, so it may only affect a few athletes who are talented enough to try the Seniors but what about the officials and timekeepers that it ties up. Do the other regional schools qualifiers clash?"

The point I think is that WAA have stated Athletes must compete at Welsh Seniors this year to be considered for CG 2010. I suspect not a serious threat- Wales will select anyone in 2010 who achieves the standard, and even WAA must accept that many have exams this year and are hardly likely to focus on Sport- well I would hope they would not. Sport is sport, A levels are a bit more important.

17/05/2009 Loughborough International Match result: 1 England 187.5, 2 Loughborough 151, 3 GB Juniors 129.5, 4 British Universities 122, 5 Scotland 114, 6 Wales 73. Results a bit messy, but best I can do.

Wales have a problem- a pathetic performance. WAA really need to work out what they are trying to do to develop the sport- it's going badly wrong at the moment- they have disillusioned many Athletes and the selection process is weird. WAA need to decide whether they want a National Team who compete to win or just funnel a couple through to team GB.

14/05/2009 Dave McKay wins javelin gold as West Cheshire AC bag 72 medals at the Cheshire Track and Field Championships-66.31m

13/05/2009 Added more County Champs-not sure what one's I have missed-let me know. I cannot be bothered with leics site- the most over funded and pointless site on the net-as a club. Now I wonder why that is?

12/05 209 Good to see Jessica Ennis is well on Track " Jessica Ennis delivered the best performance of her career to secure heptathlon victory at the IAAF Combined Events Challenge in Desenzano and underline her medal contender credentials for this summer's World Athletics Championships."

11/05/2009 Just reviewed the various Welsh Regional Champs -North, South, East and West. I did not look to hard at the actual performances, it was the lack of numbers that stuck out- Senior, U20 and U17 with no entries or only one or maybe 2-particularly the female. I will need to have a closer look, but my initial reaction is what is going wrong- is every athlete injured at this age group. The few names I knew hardly had a performance of note. OK it is a difficult time for the U17/U20- exams and all that- my daughter did not compete(not that she really considered entering) due exams and recent illness. But even those who did performed well below what i would have expected.

10/05/2009 Results of County Champs added-as many as I could find. Please email if you know where the missing are. Thanks.

I actually have an HTC phone-love it, thats how I twitter from meets !!

09/05/2009 Maybe we should just give up- is everyone just after cash- at the expense of others. I am sick of the greed that now seems commonon place. And the clowns think they are right?

Tell you were what, the Sex Pistols were right. Anarchy in the UK-now.We're now bust,bust, thanks to Gordie and the legacy of B-Lair-and whose made the money -"Wankers, Bankers and Politicians". Good title for a book. Almost as good as my current favourite "Random Deaths and Custard" by Catrin Dafydd-fab read.

08/05/2009 "I came across this video on YouTube of Derek Redmond determined to finish his Olympic 400m semi final. It brought back memories and, for me, it demonstrated the passion an athlete must have for our sport in order to succeed. Away from the politics, policies and structures of our sport this emotive video captures what is best in our sport even in adverse circumstances. His father helps Derek to complete his race and although not in the video I know he said something along the lines of ‘I was with my son when he started athletics and I had to be here when he finished.’ After a period of injury setbacks I believe this was going to be Derek Redmond’s last season – it ended up being his last race."

08/05/2009 "Many thanks for your correspondence regarding the funding of athletes. There are two types of funding available from UK Sport in this area. The first is through the World Class Podium funding detailed in the article you mentioned in your email.

Although all top athletes receive money through this programme it is paid ‘in kind’ and covers things like having a coach, having kit and equipment, travelling to international competitions and training camps and having access to sports science and physiotherapy. There is no actual cash in the athlete’s pocket, just the fundamental things which are provided by the sport’s national governing body.

The second is the personal form of funding, known as an Athlete Personal Award (APA), which is dependent upon a means testing exercise. The maximum level of funding UK Sport can distribute to an individual is £25,383 but it will not give this money to someone who earns £59,632 (including the APA) or more per annum. Consequently, at the top level, an athlete can earn a further £34,249 from sponsorship, prize money or earned income before it affects the maximum APA figure they can receive.

The UK’s elite athletes (such as Paula Radcliffe) would therefore earn so much from things like sponsorship that they would not be entitled to any of this funding at all.

The link below sets out how the funding from UK Sport is distributed. "

Interesting - but still not do fully understand. This was from a Politician not UK Sport. UK Sport were less helpful in a request under the FOI Act.

My reply "As you will be aware my interest was in the taxation of funding of athletes. Are these "in kind " fundings therefore Tax exempt ? It is a complex area I am sure, but as you will be aware if I was taken out to lunch in the City, that could be viewed by the IR as a taxable benefit.

Obviously I do not want struggling athletes to be taxed, but it would appear that several athletes of various sports are receiving support, whilst domiciled outside of the UK and earning considerable sums of monies.

UK Sport have been very reticent in a response to my FOI request, claiming they have no knowledge of a claimants tax position.

Anyway apart from that, my view is that Sport funding should be seen in the same way as a Student loan- if you make it financially, then you repay the considerable investment the State through direct and Lottery funding has made to fund you. So if an athlete of a funded sport makes substantial money, then they should repay that initial funding "the loan" and maybe a bit more. Those funds then to be re-invested in sport funding for youth sport development.

I am sure no Athlete would complain about repaying the investment that the Country has made in them becoming high earners. Well they probably will but for no good reason. They will argue talent, but as we all know talent is not enough-it needs considerable support to develop to world class.

Students accept student loans on this basis, and they enter a commercial world. Athletes funded, in my opinion should do the same.

07/05/2009" If there was a minute's silence for every Gurkha casualty from World War II alone, we would have to keep quiet for two weeks " See BBC. But do more, support them . It's important.

06/05/2009 Does anyone have the results from the English Public School Athletics Champs-1945-1950. My father and I am having a discussion about how fast he ran- he reckons he was in the final and ran 10.8 (100yrds). Cinder Track, no blocks, as he recalls .Bit of history of the sport I am interested in. My Great Grandfather ran as well as a student- back in the 1900''s before he became a Bishop in Scotland. Are any of these results still available ? Any info welcome-thanks.

06/05/2009 Short form athletics meetings are the way forward- kids will not spend hours sitting around to compete for a minute- as a runner, or an hour as a thrower, and then wait for the Bus home.Lets face it a Club sprinter will run maybe a 100m- 13 secs, 200m 27 secs and maybe a relay 12 secs.That's 52 secs in a day that could be as long as 12 hours.The sport needs to recognise this.The kids are been encouraged/forced to compete far too often. We all know that the Clubs that win overall are the Clubs who can bring out the most to compete. That is not constructive to development.Far better surely if we had short form regional leagues, where after a couple of meetings the best go forward to a National final. This would be on a composite level where the best from a regional league go forward as a regional team- so say the Clubs in West Wales compete with other regions- the regions in England as a Team- West Wales against the other Welsh regions, then Wales against the English regions and Scotland and Northern Ireland- as regional Teams. These could be broken down into Sprints and Middle distance, Long Distance and the Throws and Jumps.

A radical restructuring would be required, but far better than the crazy UK Junior League system in place which involves huge traveling for little competition normally. It would create the classic pyramid system, where ultimately the Best compete against the best.

Obvious to me, keeps the travelling down and lets the kids compete against the best ultimately-rather than wandering around the UK at vast Time cost to compete, often, against poor opposition- or sometimes very strong opposition. It would, I think favour the development of talent, which we need, and keep them interested.

6/05/2009 UK sport are not concerned about the Tax regime that Athletes who receive funding operate under-letter from UK Sport, which I stupidly shredded by accident.

01/5/2009 Drugs and more drugs-lets face it, the dopers will always will be one step ahead of the testers. Maybe just forget the whole thing, let people take drugs if they want to. And then we can stop whinging, just let the sport get on with itself. Athletes should just do what they think is right for them. Use drugs, fine, you might die as a result. I have slight qualms about results being re-tested year after year. Legally would seem a bit dodgy, I would argue that my sample from 10 years ago was tainted. I am not an expert on this, but pubic Hair Testing has a better profile than any thing else. But WADA will not accept this at the moment. But constantly re-testing samples is a bad idea.

1/05/2009 Its ten years now since Emily first started in Athletics-10 years where as a family we have seen up's and downs- Injury has been a problem over the last few years for her, and just when she was getting ready to compete as an U20, severe Tonsillitis has kicked in- hopefully just that and not worse. She is keen as ever and hopefully if her illness does not mess up her A levels will go to a University where Athletics is decent.

So a good time to reflect-10 years is a long time, and it seems an age ago when I first started this site, pre-broadband, Ranking lists etc.To be dull for a moment this site started because when Emily first ran as an U11 she seemed to be doing well- there was nothing on the Internet, it was hard to judge how good she was. So I started the site, found a few results, then started a ranking database- pretty amateur compared to the Athletics Data/Power of 10 now.

Initially people added their own performances- I always remember one boy adding a girls performance- Looks-100%. That was an age ago .I got a little bit more organised, but it was not that brilliant, dial up modems and a crude database- bit it sort of worked and I am sure encouraged the people to develop what is now available- if I could do it from the kitchen table with no funding, obviously it could be a whole load better-and now is.

Then we started debating Athletics- initially people were very wary, challenging the authorities was a bit risk then. But it worked, and there are several measures that have come about, I believe due to debate on the site. Scottish Athletics certainly developed certain aspects of rewarding athletes financially, and there was a connection.

Coverage of events has improved dramatically- many results are up pretty fast- they had to respond as we would sit in little Carmarthen and get results up within an hour of the meeting finishing- not hard, well hard work, but possible. It could get better and I am surprised that the Athletics Bodies have been slow to use Twitter- it is a brilliant and instant medium.

I think, looking back, the one thing I have banged on is about the length of an Athletics meeting- so delighted to see that moves are finally afoot to change this- or try different ways:

"The Super 8 format is also designed to be adopted by schools where the curriculum makes the staging of a full scale athletics matches increasingly difficult. The two-hour format of Super 8 could be adopted for inter-class or inter-school competitions with boys and girls competing together in the same team."

I first bought this up 8 years ago- it was obvious that the days were too long and equally obvious that to make the Sport more exciting we should have mixed teams-I mentioned specifically the relay as I recall. This is the way forward, the sport needs to "Sex" itself up, an expression I used to use, not so much recently.

That is still what is required, all local leagues need to look at how they can make the sport more attractive for both athletes and spectators- and spectators is the main aim, the sport needs people to want come and watch, not just relatives and friends. Music, good commentary and cheerleaders. Some of these are happening finally, even WAA seem to have listened this Indoor season- and it went down well.

Athletics is ultimately an individual sport.At a Youth level I feel we need to try and develop more of a Team Concept- so shorter meetings and mixed races, anything to keep kids in the sport and enjoy it. The Age group issue still is a weird one to me, I have suggested on and off that competitions should be more on a Open basis- where a 12 year old could compete in a race against a 17 yr old- Clubs make the choice . There are issues with hurdles and weights in the throws, but aside from that we could see a competition structure that allows clubs to compete on a different basis than just age- it s so dull to go and watch league matches knowing who will win- though as we all know it does not always go to form. But on the whole it does, and the Club with the most members competing will win.

The Sport offers a lot to kids, and I have good memories- but it needs to do much more to make the sport attractive and retain athletes. So its getting better, all the time, but the sport really needs to move on a stage further.

Live results-I have proved this is possible, so lets get it sorted. Broadband access is available - either by wire or Satellite-its a doodle, so let see all meetings get Live results onto the internet.hese things will help.

In the UKA we need to see more Inter-regional Matches- not just the Celtic Games, but all the Regions within UK. Quality, not quantity is the way forward.

29/04/2009 Olympic athletes test positive for doping

"Six Olympic athletes, none of them believed to be British, have tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug CERA following a re-testing of 948 samples provided by competitors during last summer's Beijing Games. The International Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday that seven samples involving six athletes who competed in China had shown traces of the banned substance, which is an advanced version of the red blood-cell boosting hormone EPO.The IOC refused to name the athletes or the sports involved but there were reports on Tuesday night from an unnamed source that three were track and field athletes, one of whom was a gold medallist. "Daily Telegraph

28/04/2009 Welsh Athletics-sold out- to the highest bidder. Front page is now the usual UKA PR for an event- so its not Welsh Athletics, its UK/Wales. Obviously far more important than developing athletics within Wales. I am pretty depressed about the way the sport is going, and if the WAA are now having to sucker up to their funders(Welsh Sport) then the sport in Wales is doomed- well I think we all know the problems. The only people who do not seem to understand are the paid. More interested in an event, than the kids.

Hate the pic, anyway.

28/04/2009 Chris Gowell smashed both his own Personal Best and the Commonwealth Games nomination criteria by running 800m in 1:47.42 – 1.8 seconds under the CWG guideline. The Newport athlete, who used to compete for Swansea Harriers

26/04/2009 Vikki Perry, broke the all time ladies V50 British record for the marathon by over a minute.

25/04/2009 Ron Hilll in the Telegraph " "We have one of the great marathons in the world here in London and there are races all over the country, yet the new generation of men is struggling to come through. I'm running the Freckleton half-marathon in June and I still hold the course record from 40 years ago.That can't be right. Perhaps marathon running is seen as a fun 'charity' event these days and not one of the greatest races and competitive tests of an athlete ever devised. And yet our women continue to do very well."Are the modern generation really hungry for it? We seem to now live in a world where you can become rich and famous overnight without necessarily putting in the hard work or graft. But that can never happen in marathon running. It's a bit of a vicious cycle as well, there is nobody to inspire them anymore."

Looks like the Long Distance runners have different view on the sport .

24/04/2009 It's comments like this which show the division between Distance runners and Track and field "In his day Bedford was bigger box office than even the showboating human speed barrier-breaking Usain Bolt is today. Not that he would pay to see any of the present generation of track and field stars. "I've lost my love for track and field," he confesses. "It does nothing for me. I wouldn't switch on for it and I wouldn't go to see it. They've got to get on top of those people who are cheating because no-one knows what they're looking at. And if no-one knows what they're looking at no-one's going to watch it because you can't believe in it." Independent

Bedford is a bright guy, but why slag off Track and Field. That generation really of Middle Distance/Long distance believe they were the true pinnacle of the sport. Other's might disagree .I never watched him run- and had little interest in these long runs, and I still do not-sorry. I will wait for the emails saying I do not understand the sport of athletics- I must change the title to Track and Field- which it used to be. And I find walking boring to the extreme, so that's two subjects to hit me on - Walking should be over hills , not on a Track.

23/04/2009 "Tom Tellez was a top American coach, Head Track and Field Coach at the University of Houston. His finest athlete, Carl Lewis, was arguably the greatest the world has ever seen, Specialising at 100, 200 metres, long jump and sprint relay, Lewis won more combined Olympic and World gold medals than any other athlete in history. His sprinting and jumping techniques were impeccable." Tony Ward blog. A great blog,

Former PRO and media spokesman for British Athletics (1986-96). Level 4 coach. Author of: Modern Distance Running (1964); Linford Christie (1989; Athletics: The Golden Decade (1991), shortlisted for Sportsbook of the Year 1991 plus contributions to newspapers various athletics magazines. Founder of the British Athletics League; international TV and stadium commentator.

22/04/2009 "As from 1st April 2009, Athletics Data has been appointed by UKA to operate the Power of 10 site - www.thepowerof10.info.As such, most of the features previously in Athletics Data have already been moved across and others, including the login system and extended rankings, are planned to be introduced in the next few weeks.The new site features an improved look and feel and, in the vast majority of events, we will cover the sport to much greater depths in standard than before with the general aim of raising standards throughout the sport at all levels.Our plans also include a revamp and update to the UK Running Track Directory www.runtrackdir.com and a section for GB athletes in championships over the years.Athletics Data will remain open for our enter online system which uniquely links into our athlete and performance database.We thank you for your support over the last 3 years and look forward to seeing over on the new site."

Was this contract put out to tender ?

21/04/2009 I can get results from a Match in Malta 18/4, but struggle with a League in Wales19/4. It is really not good enough, it is not that hard. The WAA results service has broken down, and some-one is I gather employed to produce them . Last results on the WAA site 1/4/2009

19/04/2009 Lets float this as an idea. Most successful athletes in the UK would have received considerable support through the Tax payer-via Lottery funding, Grants , Coaching etc- and as Juniors thier coaches were unpaid on the whole. As a result some make considerable amounts of money through sponsorship deals, prize money etc. Would it be unreasonable for the sport to "Tax" their income to a small amount- say 10%, with those funds being used purely to develop youth athletics- not get used up in the Administration, but set aside to help Youth Athletics( well I use Athletics but mean all the so-called amateur sports). Would I mind if years of funding had made me a attractive to sponsors and winning good prize money-no. I sure most athletes appreciate that they have received considerable financial support in pursuing their ambitions- and obviously they had the talent, but maybe a small payback would be paying something back- bit like Uni funding- if you earn over X amount you repay your student loan, Not suggesting they pay all their cost's,so may be 10% capped at £50,000 would not be unfair- lets face it some of them have earnt a serious amount of cash- having been funded by the state for years.

17/04/2009 I have being doing some research amongst Sporty/non sporty friends. I have had a 100% that no one person should receive funding from UK Sport if they are not domiciled in the UK for Tax purposes. According to the UKA website, but they do not date their articles, Paula Radcliffe is on the list. She is apparently domiciled in Monaco, though I obviously cannnot get access to her tax records-maybe she is domiciled in the UK for tax purposes.

This is an issue- why should we fund any person who lives outside of the UK to avoid Tax. I have asked UK Sport for an answer as to how many Athletes(of all Sports) are domiciled outside of the UK for tax purposes.

17/04/2009"Behind Salamanca High School lies Louis Foy/Robert Nugent Memorial Track, a testatment to two men who bled Warrior Pride. Nugent spent 27 years coaching Warrior athletics and touched the lives of many at the school and community before passing away last year, part of the reason he was memorialized and added to the track’s official name.“I’m not judged by the number of times I have failed, but by the number of times I have suceeded,” Nugent famously once said. “The number of times I have suceeded is in direct proportion to the number of times I have failed, got back up and tried again.”O'Laughlin.

17/04/2009 Email received "With regards to mother of one, Paula Radcliffe, I believe she has achieved most of her success without the assistance of UKA or Lottery funding. She does not qualify for lifestyle funding and never has done as she earns too much. She has benefitted from some medical expenses but often uses her own experts which UKA will not support. I'm not sure she has ever signed a UKA contract.
You may be right in assuming she lives in Monaco to avoid paying tax but many people do.
Paula, though, has done it her way and is the gutsiest athlete we have in any event. She's earned her success the hard way without systems and UKA/UK Sport doctrines just like Coe, Ovett, Thompson, Gunnell and many more. It shows that at the end of the day it's down to the individual athlete to do what's needed and ensure the right support from coaches and family is around them.

I admire Paula more than anyone in British athletics and believe she can win gold in London doing it her way."

I must have misread the below:

To quote "Paula Radcliffe's integration into UK Athletics' team planning for next summer's Beijing Olympics was completed yesterday when she was included among the 43 athletes who will receive the top level of Lottery funding.Her inclusion means that the recently crowned New York Marathon champion has finally signed the athletes' contract that was introduced two years ago as a pre-requisite for being part of the Lottery programme." Telegraph .

Athletics results.co.uk, currently in space for Tax reasons.That's a thought, if my company was in space who would tax me!! The ultimate tax haven,

“This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I’m stepping through the door
And I’m floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today"

cc David Bowie

13/04/2009 "The mother-of-one is currently at her home in Monaco but is expected to move to her high-altitude training base at Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees when given the all-clear to start light training." That's Radcliffe-now why should she want to live in Monaco, must be the track, not the opportunity to save tax. We slag off banker's, but what about those who are still funded GB athletes but seem to live in "Tax Generous " regimes. Makes me sick, they would of been nothing without the support of the State. Nice one- Not.

UKA are now sponsored by companies who make chips and Champagne (not the best chips or Champagne in my opinion, I would avoid bought chips at any cost and would only drink Tattinger-we could argue about the merits of Champagne for ages, but Tattinger always worked for me when I was young). I no longer drink the stuff, Champagne that is, but might crack open a bottle of Tattinger ( or maybe Cava) when GB gets retired by the electorate.

For the Gardeners amongst you Thursday and Friday, this week, are the days to plant Peas and Beans- for a good summer crop. The biodynamics are correct.

12/4/2009 "laments the decline in the numbers covering the sport,The past year has been an unsettling time for athletics writers. There have been so many job cuts, it is no exaggeration to describe the scenario as “carnage”."Sports Journalists Association.

07/04/2009 "The Julie Rose Stadium was under threat of closure at the end of March 2009 but thanks to the great support of this group(on facebook)and general public the Stadium will remain open (for now at least).This group should remain as I feel we need to continue to show public support for this great sports and community venue. It will also allow us to move into action in the future should this happen again, which is highly possible.So please continue to support the stadium and this group. "Julie Rose Stadium

07/04/2009 A project I support "The number of cathedrals using Palestinian Olive oil this Easter and throughout the year for anointing at baptisms etc… has continued to grow and we can now list the following as using Zaytoun from the Holy Land: Arundel Cathedral, Birmingham Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, Chichester Cathedral Coventry Cathedral, Rochester Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral and Southwark Cathedral."Salisbury Cathedral tell us they are using Zaytoun olive oil for their Maundy Thursday service for the third year running."

You can find out more at Zaytoun- I sell the products through my shop at Castle Stores- though you will have to ring because I have not enabled the shopping cart yet.

6/03/2009 Just imagine 30000 people cheering kids at an athletics meeting- and then maybe you will understand where UKA is going so wrong. Maybe Europe should try and do something like it for the school kids, but do they even get 30000 and an TV Audience of 1.2m. Sort this out, and then the sport will thrive. But UKA have no plan to get kids and the media interested, the UK Youth Games has had, to be honest, luke warm response. They need TV and the media to get behind Youth Athletics.

06/04/2009 "In Jamaica there is only one event that grips the nation like the Olympic Games or World Championships – the national Boys and Girls Athletics Championships. To the rest of the world "Champs" may sound like a glorified school sports day, but to Jamaicans it is the highlight of the year, with crowds of 30,000 people gathering from across the island to watch over 100 schools battle it out for title of "King" or "Queen". The Guardian.

01/04/2009 Email received "Ive heard that the BBC in an effort to build up a new audience for Modern Athletics have mooted the idea of a new style audience friendly athletics based around more activity taking part in the home straight. They are working on the premise that whoever pays the piper calls the tune .
1.The power sprint of 50m.....from 25m -75m on home straight using the newly produced spring loaded starting blocks .These were developed in order to counteract the possibility of paying somebody like Eugene Bolt 150K to turn up at a meeting and getting disqualified at the start .The preloaded blocks are released simultaneously by the starters gun ,this discourages the act of trying to beat the gun .Such a simple idea I cant believe nobody thought of it before
2. The 200m will now be an up and down race ....normal 100m start but up to the finish touch a beep marker and back ....
3 The power shuttle run 0...10...20...30 returning to 0 after each run a total of 120m
4 The 400m will now be in shuttle form 0..10...20...30...40...50...60...70 and back giving 400 m in total
5 The 800m just add another 2 shuttle runs out to 80 and 90m giving 740m which they think is quite enough

On the field events they were quite taken by the Formula I motor racing idea and have decided that in all events the athletes should be awarded 1 point for every 10cm they jump or throw .Your points total for your 3 tries are added together to declare the winner ,they dont see why the person who throws or jumps the longest should be declared the winner .They seem to think that is a bit elitist and the win should go to the person who tries the hardest .

They did concede that there would be a few technical issues to be resolved but had been in contact with the **Its A Knockout Production Team ** whom they believed had the skills and experience to take athletics to a completely new level .

The Chairman had made contact with the agents of a number of prominent athletes and early indications are that if the money is on the table they would be quite happy to lend there names to the event .

The views of the public are being actively sought by the governing body ,please write them on the reverse of a £20 note and send it to UK Athletics "

01/04/2009 I am just a casual observer of the sport, with a few thoughts. Just at the moment I think I am slightly more clever than the highly paid :"We are confident that this kind of team competition, featuring the most exciting events in athletics, will prove captivating to fans around the world."

And when did I first suggest this ,many years ago- suddenly the sport is waking up.Well done. Pretty simple.

31/03/2009 Email received"You seem to have a big problem with middle and long distance running just thought i would remined you that all types of athletes will look at your site. Just because you didnt enjoy the distances does not mean everyone else thinks the same. "

The problem I was trying to identify is selection criteria- the difference between XC and T&F.

And once,many years ago,I did run a long way- 12 miles with a rucksack and Army boots on- had to win (well I wanted to get the best tent by the Loch we were running too as prime fishing spot- we made it in the lead, I had a boot full of blood as a nail had come through the Corp boot, fished , went to sleep and we got flooded. Some irony in that.

30/03/2009 GB Team XC obviously has different selection criteria than T&F. No requirement to be in the top 8- Twell was 38th and the leading British male 74th. I guess a small team , so lower costs, probably more Officials than Athletes. But come on, its a joke. No GB Track and Field athlete can be funded unless a World final or podium is an chance. But in XC seems different rules. For some reason some in Athletics has always seen XC , Long and Middle Distance as a nobler sport within Athletics in GB. Personally it was the weekly ritual I hated, and we normally managed to find a short cut or if the monks were really checking us, jog around and sprint for the finish and look good.

But some really enjoy it and good luck to them. But let's use the same criteria for funding, eh. That's only fair.

29/03/2009 It's all starting again- results added from Havering Mayesbrook Spring warm up.

28/03/2009 "It has been announced that the Julie Rose Stadium will be closing at midnight on Tuesday (31st March) unless an agreement can be reached between Ashford Leisure Trust, the Julie Rose Stadium Board and Ashford Borough Council.

I am shocked and saddened by this mess and cannot understand why Ashford Borough Council has left this so late. I set up a facebook group over a month ago since news of potential problems came to light. Since then over 1500 people have joined the group and left a large amount of comments on its wall. Some are shown below:

"Julie and I were very close friends and training partners. After she died, myself, her coach and several other Ashford Athletic Club members and friends set up the fund that raised money to build the stadium. It took us ten years and a lot of hard work. It would be a terrible shame if the stadium was now closed. The only reason Julie went to the USA was because our nearest track was in Calais. Julie had to travel to Southwark in South London to train on a decent track. Please don't let all our hard work go to waste."

"It would be just typical of our government and local council, get rid of something useful. They really have no idea. They really should look outside the box and look at the benefits that this stadium has had on the South East area.

A Training ground, proper competition stadium, a training camp for 2012 Olympics.

They really are barmey!!!

Save the Julie Rose - a fantastic resource for the County, for Schools, and local Clubs and on a bigger scale the Olympics."

"Along with staff & others my Grandchildren were in tears yesterday,because the staff were taken in one by one & told as of Tusday next week its closed,they were not allowed to contact Media or Press .There is something corrupt & the whole business stinks come on Ashford get off your backsides lets do something positive about keeping this open lets do it now"

These are just some of over 50 posts on the group. Public support for the stadium is massive and as Tuesday comes closer I feel the public feelings will grow. Please help and support the Julie Stadium in anyway you can. This stadium cannot close not even for a week as designated training venue for the London 2012 Olympics our Council has to put aside any type of politics keep this sporting venue open.

Feel free to visit the group Rosie

27/03/2009 "It has been announced today that the Julie Rose Stadium will be closing at midnight on Tuesday (31st March) unless an agreement can be reached between Ashford Leisure Trust, the Julie Rose Stadium Board and Ashford Borough Council. This is not good news."

I don't get the above- why are stadiums being closed ? Email Ashford and express your disgust. Email Julie Rose Stadium Board to express your support.

26/03/2009 UKA are rumored to be about to announce the closure of several HiPAC's and that several performance staff in UKA are not having their contracts renewed. UKA need to put out a statement immediately confirming or denying these stories. UKA Welsh Performance manager, Jeremy Moody is rumored to be one whose contract is not being renewed, and NIAC ,Cardiff will not become a HiPAC.

No wonder some are coming to a grisly end- remember this in 2007 Organisation: UK Athletics:Salary:

£56,000 - £62,000 Location: based at one of the HiPACs (Birmingham, Lea Valley, Loughborough or Uxbridge.Type of contract: Fixed term contract to 31st March 2009/

I would love to spend a day seeing what all these people do. You have say 12 elite athletes to worry about. I don,t get it, seems like the new regime is however going to change things-it's not rocket science- the athletes do all the work with their coaches- mostly who are unpaid. Coaching is the key, not administrators.

25/03/2009 "Dwain Chambers has been invited to try and break the Dutch 100m all-comers' record at a meeting in Uden in the Netherlands on 27 June. " BBC

23/03/2009 It seems that the IAAF are making attempts to keep meeting sessions shorter- which is good news. "The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) agreed on Sunday to make their top events more TV friendly, with shorter finals-packed evening sessions that are aimed at winning back younger viewers.It said the schedule changes would come in by the 2010 World Indoor Games in Doha .Athletics, like the Olympic Games, has been suffering from an aging viewership with younger audiences turning to shorter forms of sport or entertainment.The IAAF said it would not shorten the duration of its outdoor and indoor world championships but would confine qualification events only to mornings and finals to compact media-attractive three-hour evening sessions." Reuters.

Now UKA need to work out away to keep kids involved- and that means working out a better format for leagues. The sport will not maintain interest while kids have to spend 12-14 hours traveling and sitting around to compete for a few minutes. Cost and distance spent traveling are the problems, with no overnight stays to allow the athletes who travel from a long distance time to travel and recover. The time issue is easy- just run half the events, so the meeting is over in 3 hours not 6. Traveling is an issue, but UKA should provide funds for clubs who travel over , say 2 hours, to pay for overnight accommodation. I would review the whole league structure- and have some events one week and others the next. UKA will have to help fund the club costs, but is that not what they should be doing-rather than just worrying about the elite and 2012.

So all they have to do know is stop the silly qualification times and let countries enter who they like. No other sport- well maybe skiing does, though Eddie the Eagle flew(sort of) -stops people competing. Drop the standards, let the Nations decide who to send. Then it will be more fun for all Nations who participate. Lets face it in terms of rankings athletics is a minor sport, so why do anything that prevents people competing or following.

When athletic's wakes up and realises it is rarely a front page sport then they might get motivated into trying to raise the awareness of the sport. I think that those involved must not read the sport pages, otherwise they would realise that Athletics gets an inch on a good weekend. Athletics should have a full page every week. A failure by UKA athletics.

21/03/2009 Just- News in The IAAF had launched its investigation to find out if Chambers' book had brought the sport into disrepute."There is no reason for us to take any action against the book or against Chambers," said IAAF general secretary Pierre Weiss. " BBC.

Bad news for those who tried to get the IAAf ban him- I am sue no-one involved in Athletics in the UK was involved (sic). Mr Davies is no doubt considering his position-see below.

21/03/2009 A Comedy of Errors- well it was always going to happen. When the rule about false starts- one only and the field was under a warning, then it was obvious some would abuse it to get the whole field yellow carded. Mentioned when it came in. So now they want to change the rules to say that anyone who false starts is chucked out"False starters in sprints face immediate exclusion from the race under a new proposal by the world governing body of track and field .Currently, one false start is allowed per race; another false start meant the automatic exclusion of the guilty sprinter regardless of who caused the first false start. The new rule would mean an immediate expulsion for any offender."

This is of course ridiculous-starters are sometimes to blame, some hold for a fraction of a second, others a couple of seconds. I recall talking to the great Linford Christie about this, he told me that in Europe it was Set,bang- elsewhere held for a second or two. So if they want to bring in this new ruling, then they will have to get starters consistent. Or have gates in front of the athletes like horse racing (I am joking ).

The authorities, and this original rule was due to the demands of TV, need to remember that the public will lose interest if they do not see their athlete compete. One false was enough, but this new ruling will make a joke of the sprints. If the sport is really going to Kow Tow(You can tow a cow to water, but you can’t make it drink. But the word that means bowing worshipfully before someone comes from the Chinese words for knocking one’s head on the ground) to the demands of TV, and I can see no other reason for it, then they will be responsible for lower viewing figures. Personally the old rule was fine, just chuck out the athlete if they made 2 false starts-worked well, cost my daughter as a youngster a medal coz she had to sit or get DQ for 2nd false.

I would rather watch that than listen to the BBC team talk. How many Sprinters are on the IAAF board ?

21/03/2009 Chambers wrote a book- the IAAF and others,are trying to get him banned from running again-ever "Under IAAF rules, an athlete can face penalties, including a competition ban, if found to have brought the sport into disrepute."He is free to run. He's served his ban. Now, our experts have to see whether he can be banned under this clause," (IAAF spokesman Nick Davies )Davies said. So they want to ban him ?

So they want to try and ban him- the witch hunt continues. Why do the experts want to ban the best European sprinter- just because he wrote a book. Or does the truth hurt ? Or is the truth getting to close for comfort for the cosy gang who run the sport.

Athletics is a sport, meant to be enjoyed. It is not a sport that needs to take it self too seriously.They have bigger issues- like making athletics more popular worldwide- yes, I say it all the time, A sport of Choice.

The sport is about entertainment, not rocket science. Get off your high horses, back to the nursery floor and realise that the public want to see performers, no-one is that bothered-apart from the few that they think they know what is right.

WADA will not even consider using Hair testing, which is the only way, in my opinion, to really stop drug abuse. When we have totally hairless athletes(no body hair at all)competing, then the Authorities will need to think of something else.

21/03/2009 OK, I got the France/Italy Game wrong- but 2 out of 3 is good for me- though they way England played in the 2nd half and Wales had that kick, could have been 0/3- my usual score !! I am pleased for Ireland- they have been so close for years, a well deserved Grand Slam. And England have now played 2 Games with 15 players, though their discipline was again poor.

21/03/2009 Email received"There have been rumours for a few days that UKA were culling staff but we were not sure exactly what was going to happen. It now appears that two HiPAC centres, Loughborough and Brunel, are going to close with all coaches and staff at these facilities having to apply for jobs at the two remaining centres at Birmingham and Lee Valley. I assume there is no chance of UWIC becoming a UKA HiPAC as many in Welsh Athletics were planning.There was an original plan to have around 9 or 10 HiPACs but this was soon shelved and we had around 6. We are now down to 2. Interestingly, the two remaining centres are not directly attached to universities removing one of my issues regarding whether these facilities are for athletes or for the host university. It will now be up to universities to develop there own coaching and support structure.

I am assuming that both the remaining HiPACs will have a full compliment of coaches, which was not the case previously, with CVC bringing in some new blood. I can see more athletes based at these centres during the final 2 years or so leading up to London but this must be worked equitably and favourably with the athletes existing coaches.

So how will this affect UWIC? Hopefully, it will now concentrate on supporting Wales and concentrate on raising standards throughout the whole of the Principality. This should involve directly linking into regional performance centres at Deeside and Swansea (they should not be just Athletics Development Centres – ADC’s should be the clubs). I assume that coaches and other staff employed at UWIC will not be directly linked to UKA but will work for the university and possibly Welsh Athletics. "

20/03/2009 It's super Saturday for rugby fans- England will beat Scotland , Ireland will just beat Wales to get their first Grand Slam for an age, and Gatland will be back on the plane "Much of the pre-match debate as centred on Wales coach Warren Gatland's assertion that "out of all the teams in the Six Nations, the Welsh players dislike the Irish the most".

Gatland is obviously out of touch, the Welsh as a Nation dislike the English more than any one, and had he not made such a poor choice against Italy, they would not need to beat Ireland by 13 points to win the Champs. Highly paid, but these people never learn the basics of sport- always field you best team in every game. So against Ireland he has dropped Halfpenny ( who must be injured surely because he is a superb talent) and brought in Henson, who seems to have lost the mental battle.

And the Italians could upset France- that will be a brutal game.

20/03/2009 Ok, my error Dwain Chambers is based in North London, not Birmingham. His website is here.

20/03/2009 French hair tests allegedly show 1 in 5 soccer players with evidence of steroids.

Come on WADA use it.

Bolt runs in Manchester on May 17th in a street race-over 150m and will know doubt watch Man Utd v.Arsenal the day before.

19/03/2009 Hair testing-UK Sport will not use - but others are: See these links. One of the leading Companies is based in Wales. News and Australia

17/03/2009 OK this is not T&F-its swimming " Jo Jackson upstages Rebecca Adlington to set a new 400m freestyle world record"

Interesting-these female swimmers seem to work well to-gether-Jackson set a new WR, so not just Adlington "out of sorts". Adlington also broke the WR in 2nd. I don't follow swimmng closely, maybe they are not a as freindly a group as they appear, but they are getting the results.

17/03/2009 Does anyone whow where Dwain Chambers is ? I have been told he is in the USA training, then told meeting with UKA this week, then on "tour" and very busy. Probably sitting at home in Birmingham , laughing at all the spin going on. Strange strategy, but we have seen politicians play this game. Guess it sells books.

14/03/2009 "Knuckleheads of the week: Victor Conte and Dwain Chambers." San Francisco Chronicle . I am not entirely sure what knucklehead means, but presumably is not complimentary.

14/03/2009 "Boase stands seventh in the world this winter in the indoor 400, second among U.S. competitors, and is a fast-rising star in his sport. But only now is he beginning to believe he belongs with the premier quarter-milers in the land.It's heady stuff, running this rapidly, for a kid who didn't even try out for track until midway through his senior year at Bothell High School in 2004."

14/03/2009 "VETERAN athletes Peter Dibb and David Cowgill were among the medals at the recent British Masters Indoor Track Championships at the Lee Valley Athletic Centre, in Enfield, Middlesex. Former Huddersfield cricketing legend Dibb claimed a hat trick of gold medals, taking one in the Over 75 400m in a time of 81.23.He was also first in the 800m in 3min 11.59sec, as well as winner of the 1500m in 6-25.59.Cowgill, meanwhile, was fourth in the Over 65s 800m in 2-52.91 and third in the 1500m in 6-12.21."

14/03/2009 Follow this link to see the 1936 Olympics- emailed to me by Geoff." I thought you may be interesting in seeing film from the 1936 Olympics – no I’m not in it! The film is in sections with old adverts in between but click on the fast forward button and you can move from one section to the next and so on. You may have to hold the Ctrl key and then click on the link to open it"

It's great skip the beginning, and enjoy-what an archive sport film.

17/03/2009 OK this is not T&F-its swimming " Jo Jackson upstages Rebecca Adlington to set a new 400m freestyle world record"

Interesting-these female swimmers seem to work well to-gether-Jackson set a new WR, so not just Adlington "out of sorts". Adlington also broke the WR in 2nd. I don't follow swimmng closely, maybe they are not a as freindly a group as they appear, but they are getting the results.

17/03/2009 Does anyone whow where Dwain Chambers is ? I have been told he is in the USA training, then told meeting with UKA this week, then on "tour" and very busy. Probably sitting at home in Birmingham , laughing at all the spin going on. Strange strategy, but we have seen politicians play this game. Guess it sells books.

14/03/2009 "Knuckleheads of the week: Victor Conte and Dwain Chambers." San Francisco Chronicle . I am not entirely sure what knucklehead means, but presumably is not complimentary.

14/03/2009 "Boase stands seventh in the world this winter in the indoor 400, second among U.S. competitors, and is a fast-rising star in his sport. But only now is he beginning to believe he belongs with the premier quarter-milers in the land.It's heady stuff, running this rapidly, for a kid who didn't even try out for track until midway through his senior year at Bothell High School in 2004."

14/03/2009 "VETERAN athletes Peter Dibb and David Cowgill were among the medals at the recent British Masters Indoor Track Championships at the Lee Valley Athletic Centre, in Enfield, Middlesex. Former Huddersfield cricketing legend Dibb claimed a hat trick of gold medals, taking one in the Over 75 400m in a time of 81.23.He was also first in the 800m in 3min 11.59sec, as well as winner of the 1500m in 6-25.59.Cowgill, meanwhile, was fourth in the Over 65s 800m in 2-52.91 and third in the 1500m in 6-12.21."

14/03/2009 Follow this link to see the 1936 Olympics- emailed to me by Geoff." I thought you may be interesting in seeing film from the 1936 Olympics – no I’m not in it! The film is in sections with old adverts in between but click on the fast forward button and you can move from one section to the next and so on. You may have to hold the Ctrl key and then click on the link to open it"

It's great skip the beginning, and enjoy-what an archive sport film.

13/03/2009 I have publicly supported Dwain Chamber's right to compete over the last few years, often attracting some fairly hostile emails. Which is fair, we all have views.

But just now I am feeling pretty gutted to hear Chamber's has got back in with Conte. I knew he was going to train in the USA for a couple of months, and was a bit suspect about it. The BBC have now announced to-day he is back with Conte. I cannot beleive it. The man is now a fool, he had just won over much of the British public, his performances have been great, and he kicks his fans in the teeth going back to the architect of his demise- a man (Conte) who has been in prison for his illegal doping operation.

Dwain will now probably never run again for GB. Sorry Dwain , but you have gone too far this time. It's been fun watching you, but enough is enough. Stupid or what. I have lost interest, he is admitting to use a device that basically mimics drug use- "The device, an AltoLab Altitude Simulator, is distributed in the United States by the Arizona-based company Pharma Pacific, which confirmed Chambers was introduced to the technology by Conte. "What's really interesting for us is that he was dealing with steroids for many years and this seems to be giving even better results," the company's president, Andrew Backhaus said."The Guardian. It increases Red blood count, bit like training at high altitude, which is the something some GB Marathon runners have done- and again , in my opinion, gives them an unfair advatage over other UK based runners who cannot afford it. That is why the African runers do so well, but they live there.

It's all about cheating- got the money and you can do it-legally.

I am really upset about this.

12/03/2009 Track & Field Open Meeting to be held at Northwood Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent on Sunday 19 April 2009.

12/03/2009 Under the leadership of the new CEO of WAA, Matt Newman, things are changing-and for the better for Welsh Athletes across the country. A new job has been advertised- "Welsh Athletics is seeking to appoint a high-calibre individual to the role of Head of Coaching.This new post has arisen from the restructuring of UK Athletics and a realignment of the coaching structures within Welsh Athletics. It recognises the vital role that coaches play in sustaining and improving athletes at all levels across the country.Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and working in close partnership with UK Athletics, the successful candidate will shape and implement the coach and athlete development strategies and create and lead a national coaching team who will support talented coaches and their athletes in each event at all levels.Critical to the success of this strategy is that coaching best practice is promoted at all levels of the sport and not restricted to the elite tier. Effective mentoring, communication, team working, team leadership, planning, organising and strategic thinking skills are essential to achieving the results desired from this high-profile role.We are seeking a person with the vision, energy, passion and commitment to drive the sport forward; a person who recognises and values the contribution that both volunteer and paid coaches make to the on-going success of our sport."

This music to my ear's and I am sure many within the sport in Wales. After the last few years of just focusing on the elite and 2012 and all that stuff, Matt Newman has come up with the sensible idea- seek a Head Coach who can develop athletics as a sport within the principality, work with the volunteer coaches who are so important in the sport and communicate with them. This is a bold and forward looking appointment- the only job application for a senior role in the sport that actually says "not restricted to the elite tier". Well done to Matt Newman.

11/03/2009 Steve Cram has a had enough criticism on the BBC website re Chambers, so I will lie low- well lowish-we fund the BBC and therefore they should be impartial. Cram and the rest of the clowns have misjudged the public mood, and they should be fired. They will never accept that Chambers made an error of judgement. He has and always had the talent- he just tried to rush it.

This gang of middle class ex middle distance runners are doing the sport no favours.

Middle distance indoors is just plain dull- its neither one thing or the other. They have dropped 200m indoors, well just drop all the events over 800m indoors. Its like watching hamsters go round a cage-and about as interesting.The only thing duller is a 3000m walk Indoors.

Or build 400m Indoor tracks, apparently the Finish have them. Since the Governement have printed £75 billion, maybe some of that cash could be used to build some new Indoor stadiums-with 400m tracks, now that would employ people. They(Gov) can't quite get it- give the City £75bn and they will just drink it.

11/03/2009 Email received to day- Janine Whitlock is another of course who was banned, claimed spike drink as I recall, but has competed, though not sure what she is doing now:

"The biggest issue I have with the whole Dwain Chambers issue is the contradictions from the media and from UKA. There have been in recent times other UK athletes that have failed drugs tests, done their time and been allowed to return to competition without the media witch hunt that has followed Dwain.

An example? Carl Myerscough... Carl who? That would be the response from the majority of the UK public and there-in lies the sub-plot to the whole story and the question that UKA should be made to answer "Has Dwain Chambers been made a scapegoat due to one ill-advised comment on a BBC sport magazine programme?"

Let's just look at the facts, as from the distance we look at both athletes we can only look at facts. Carl Myerscough and Dwain Chambers returned positive tests and had two year bans from athletics. One athlete has been consistently picked without debate by the governing body for an event where UK athletics have few options, performing in Europa Cups, World Champs and at the European Indoor Champs. The other athlete's selection has continually been questioned by every athletics journalist even though he has served the same sentence. Open question to UK Athletics - if no other UK sprinter was within 0.5 seconds of Dwain Chambers would he have been treated more like our number one shot putter? I have no problem with either athlete being picked now. The rules when both were banned were a two year suspension from all competition.

I do have a huge issue with consistency. A certain Michael Johnson wrote in his autobiography that consistency has become an underrated value in our MTV culture, a sentiment I increasingly agree with.

Is it too much that we ask for a consistent governing body? If this is to be achieved let's question the morality of selecting all banned athletes not the ones with the public profiles that sell papers and make news items. Let's be consistent not make scapegoats out of individuals.

On another issue related to consistency along a similar vein to your point about the treatment Marilyn Okoro, after the weekend how about examining the performance of all funded and non-funded athletes. In particular Andy Turner, who after a poor heat and semi-final raised his performance in the final and was fractions of a second outside a medal. How does this compare in terms of consistency of performance with one of our funded 60m athletes who in his own terms had "a disaster"? A consistent governing body might like to re-evaluate their funding decisions in light of the relative performances."

Interesting email I think. What I also believe is that UKA should be challenged on not using Dwain in the Relay team. As a fan, I want to see GB win medals now, I am not that concerned about the development for 2012-that will happen anyway. Dwain is rocking, lets use him this summer and try and win Relay Gold-the sport needs to attract kids to the sport and the sure fire way to do that is by GB winning events. Not using your fastest sprinter is crazy, and I think Dwain has enough experience to take a baton on last leg-however little the train to-gether..UKA could have a World medallist who is not in the relay squad-how mad is that.

I hope this is not a choice based on Craig Pickering who has looked more miserable every event. Craig has talent, he should get over the Dwain thing and let him help him to get World Class-he's a bit off that at the moment. The best thing would be if Williamson, Pickering and whoever-tats the hard one(probably Malcolm on the bend)-work with Dwain to win Relay Gold at the Worlds- a huge boost in confidence for them. But UKA work in strange and mysterious ways- they want medals, but not Chambers involved. So they will handicap themselves.

10/03/2009 "I am surprised Chambers is viewed as the root of all evil," said meet director Gerhard Janetzky."There have been plenty of athletes who were allowed to start after sitting out their ban so why should Chambers' punishment be worse?"

Dwain has been invited to the Berlin meeting Golden League Meeting in June. At last one meeting has had the sense to realise that the punished Dwain is an asset to the sport. He is a huge asset, was the most talented youngster in Europe, made a huge error, paid the price-in a huge way personally, but has overcome all of that to become best in Europe.

If the IAAF really seek to ban him for his book , God help us all. London 2012 used a musician to promote in Beijing, who , it is rumored used a few drugs in his time, well if he did not he is unique in the rock and roll circus.

It seems no-one in the 1970's actually touched wacky baccy-it was all just a dream.

But hey ho-musicians can perform stoned (and I have a few friends who managed this), but an athlete who has told the truth, paid the price, is castigated.

Using drugs to help with training is wrong-that's what these people are doing- but , and at the risk of being controversial is this any more that training at high altitude. It's all about changing the body system. Or using Oxygen tents.

Or just missing drug tests.

If Chamber's is hounded out of the sport by the Middle class white majority then I will have to seriously consider whether I will bother following the sport anymore.

BBC Interview with Regis

10/03/2009 Email received from an athlete"

In life you take risks based on the punishment you are likely to get. The punishment for drugs in athletics in not enough. Make it life bans (or something significantly longer than the current 2 year ban) and we wouldn't even be talking about Chambers or Gatlin or any other drugs cheats wishing to make a comeback. With this in mind, Chambers was only given a 2 year ban. Which he served and he came clean about the duration he was taken them for and what he was on, which is way more than what other drugs cheats do. He is now allowed to run and that’s the end of it. Having been an athlete at international level, 2 years out of the sport wont seriously affect your career so people will continue to 'take the chance'. If there was a threat of say a 6 year ban......people might reconsider.

Those that are not true followers of athletics won’t even know that he was a World Junior Record holder with 10.06 so he had the talent, but just couldn’t wait for it to come to him naturally. He is a display of what can happen when your gamble doesn’t pay off. He didn’t even improve that much while he was on the drugs, he was too 'loaded'. Chambers wants to show what he can run clean. Youngsters should also want to run clean after the 6.42.

Regarding meeting promoters not inviting him and people not being interested in him racing. Who wouldn't watch Chambers vs. Bolt vs. Powell (the reformed man vs. the new stars) at the 'Palace'. Those who say they wont are liars!! It’s a mouth watering prospect and the kind of clash that athletics needs to lift the sport out of the boring hole it sometimes it is in. Bring cheerleaders, fireworks, entry music. You have to move with the times. Chambers has.

Do the crime, do the time. He's done that and now let the man run. WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES. "

Totally agree -

8/03/2009 The Bully boy is back in town-"Van Commenee also labeled Marilyn Okoro's 800m final display as "naive". Note how he picks on a women, yet again. The Man seems to have an issue with female athlete's, no mention of Williamson or Pickering by name. And in case the Dutchman forgets he is head coach, so what went wrong- his problem me thinks. If he was a footie coach he would be on his way back to the Orange Land now . One of my best mates is Dutch, become a British citizen and is pretty pleasant. Van Commenee seems to think that publicly shaming is cool, well dutchman, its not, its not the British way. We do things our way.

I assume that with all the money UKA have at their disposal, some-one actually analysis the competition and gives advice to the athletes how to run. That is what coaches at this level are paid to do. So either we have a scenario when Okoro just ignored her instructions-(so stupid) or was not given clear instructions on how to run the race. That is the issue, and the one that would be interesting to hear discussed. Any race over 100m for youth level, and certainly over 400m for seniors is about tatics-CO has proved that.

So if "Van the Man"is going to spout off, please could you release details of what Okoro was told do to. And could all athletes just stop saying I will learn, post race, you are funded and if you do not know what you are doing, then pack up.

Dwain Chambers is of course not part of this GB training system. But despite all the crap, he remained focused and won. The best comment he made was when asked if he had hoped to run the final faster, "win was the plan" along the lines he had focused on times before and failed, it was all about winning. Few records are achieved because that is the aim, they happen when winning is the focus.

Colin Jackson showed his old speed moving away when Dwain was interviewed by BBC- was he worried a left hook would come out. He should not Dwain is far above the bitching the BBC love.

8/03/2006- A pedestrian (sic) 6.46 saw Dwain Chambers win Gold over the 60m, after the disappointing Womens 800m. The 4*400m GB team mae and female picked up silver. So he has proved the point, I have ordered the Book. I hope that rumours that the IAAF are going to consider action against Chambers for bringing the sport into disrepute are unfounded- stirred up by a Brit apparrently. If this is true it sums up the petty nature of Athletics and those who think they know what is best . If some-one objects to comments by Chamber's , then sue him. There is no need for the IAAF to get involved- they did not after Dick Pound's book which made some fairly punchy comments.

The PR about Dwain's book:

In January 2002 the athlete Dwain Chambers made a serious error of judgement when he succumbed to peer pressure and temptation and took a performance enhancing substance. The inevitable bust, when it happened, came almost as a relief. Nevertheless it would turn his life upside down. Chambers came clean, held up his hands and unburdened himself of the guilt he’d been carrying for so long. His income fell from six figures per annum to nil and he had to repay 18 months of athletics prize money when he freely admitted the timescale of his abuse.

A two-year competition ban was imposed and a lifetime ban from the Olympics. He fought the two-year ban as the drug he took was not actually on a ‘banned list’ at the time of his offence. Despite the experts advising him otherwise he lost the case, needing to sell his house in order to pay the costs.

He then made the decision to rebuild his athletics career and his life and decided to fight the British Olympic Association attempting to overturn his lifetime Olympic ban. Some would say it was yet another error of bad judgement taking on ‘The Establishment’.

For five years Dwain Chambers has been abused and vilified by the BOA, the media and his fellow athletes past and present, he has been called a cheating bastard in a radio interview and a prominent Lord has used the F word when referring to him. Lord Sebastian Coe, Lord Colin Moynihan, Daley Thompson, Steve Cram, Steve Redgrave and Dame Kelly Holmes are just a few of the high profile names who have ensured a tirade of negative publicity during and leading up to one most high profile hearings in British sporting history.

Once again Dwain Chambers placed his faith in British justice. Two of his legal acquaintances Jonathan Crystal and Nick Collins agreed to work for free, such was their belief in their client’s right to run. The BOA, by their own admissions were not particularly well off, nevertheless they wheeled in David Pannick QC, arguably Britain's pre-eminent brief on sporting matters, whose hourly rate of up to £1,500 puts him at the very top of the pile of legal earners. The Lawyer magazine estimates he commands an annual income in excess of £2m. Chambers lost his case. He sat and watched the Beijing Olympics at home.

Dwain Chambers has kept a diary for five years, now it’s his turn to talk. His treatment by certain individuals, who are far from perfect themselves, and in particular by the BOA have sickened him to the core. The lies and double standards are evident in RACE AGAINST ME as Chambers pours his heart out and exposes the real cheats in the world of athletics.

RACE AGAINST ME is a book that will shake UK and world athletics to the core written by a man who tells it how it is."

And UKA need him- he will help Simeon Williamson- who the BBC "accidentally"showed hugging Dwain after his gold. Craig Pickering needs to get over the "crap" he has been fed, relax and enjoy the sport. It is a sport after all.

6.42

A new British and European Indoor record and to-morrow it could be 6.38(WR). Dwain always had the talent, that was obvious. He will never get the rewards his talent deserves because as a Young man he got impatient and cheated. A lesson hard learnt, but hopefully all will realise that using drugs to help with training is the wrong way. I thought 6.49 was a strong possibility- now looks like 6.38 is well within his grasp-he is hungry for it, and I guess wants to prove his detractors wrong and a nice payday if he breaks the World Indoor record- though I am sure that is not his priority.

Mo Farah won the 3000m with a good performance. Other British Olympic banned athletes Carl Myerscough failed to get through to the final of the shot put. With both Meadows and Okoro in the womens 800m final and Rutherford in LJ final and Lewis in PV final it should be a good day to-morrow. Can GB get 1,2 and 3 in the 60m ? I suspect that it could be Gold and Silver- Chamber's and Willamson, Pickering is not looking too comfortable with his start and though coming through well, a slow start will leave him out of the medals- and as usual there will be a false start putting the field under pressure-well if I was against Dwain I would False to put the whole field under a warning. Sadly that is where this rule can be used tatically.

06/03/2009 Donna Fraser through to finals of European Indoor Champs 400m -well done to her, but...where are the CO's and others. Euro Champs Indoor champs are obviously beneath them-we fund them (as Tax payers)- so they should compete. Same in Men 400m's, Buck did OK but Rooney not there?.

These athletes should realise that they are paid/funded to compete, and should not be allowed to pick and choose. UKA are being really wet about this. Obviously some of them think an European Indoor medal is worth nothing. Wake up and realise representing your country is an honour- and you should do so at every opportunity-indoors or outdoors. It really annoys me that state funded athletes are being allowed to pick and choose.

6/03/2009 The publishers of Dwain Chamber's "Race against me" book have emailed me an extract to review. So I have only seen one part, mainly about how he got caught up in BALCO. It must be a honest account, because no-one would have written it other wise- it is a sad story of how a chance meeting, maybe engineered by some-one, caused the downfall of an athlete, who has now proved, and maybe will prove to-morrow, he never needed the "help" anyway.

The small extract I have read really moved me- felt like how could this of happened ,where was the support from the UK side. Whether some-one knew in the UK is possibly the subject of a legal battle, if the person did have an inkling, why the hell did he advise UK Sport. But no proof that he did, so better leave it at that. And it would make no difference anyway, Chamber's had made up his mind through ,in part, with his friendship with Kelli White.

Buy the Book if you are interested- I will, from what I have read it is a pretty straight forward account of a move to the "Dark Side" of sport. Dwain certainly is not ever proud of what he did, it's not a justification, from what I have read, more a warning to other athletes . Though he still talks , strangely, with the architect of his demise-Victor Conte.

Let's hope he wins to-morrow, for him and his family, otherwise he is going to get a real hard time. He has been through the mill, as he says his Lawyers worked for free to get him re-established as they believed in the case re BOA. He lost his house as a result.

The man is penitent, he has 3 kids and a wife to look after, so I hope he gets some cash from this book. He will always have to reflect on what he could have done if he had not cheated- and that will last for his life. If nothing else the book will be a text book for all athletes to resist the urges of anyone who walks up to you trackside and says "Hi, I could help you".(my quotes not from the book).

And the establishment are getting really arsy about his book, which makes me even more supportive !! These issues need to be stirred up. Sport's bodies, that fund athletes, also have a responsibility to keep an eye on what they are doing.

"What athletics is not ready for is Chambers the whistle-blower because his experiences highlight their shallow gestures. One cannot help but think that what the sport most hates about him is not that he took drugs, but that his revelations expose the culpability of others in the process. His book is like that little phial of THG, the one that opened up an unseen world of hypocrisy and deception." Daily Mail article

4/03/009 "British record holder Goldie Sayers (Belgrave Harriers) has withdrawn from the European Cup – Winter Throws event in Los Realejos, Tenerife on 14-15 March, as a precautionary measure due to a slight elbow injury" UKA site. And on it goes..

Dwain is going to run 6.49- I just have a feeling.. we will see.

4/03/2009 Talking to a Coach today he said "maybe they Over train and Under compete" That might be the problem , hours and hours traning and not enough competing for the Senior Elite Athletes. Maybe less hours in the Gym and the Training and getting out competing might be a solution to some of the injury problems that keep happening.

3/03/2009 Tomlinson pulls out. Another I have just seen. One has to wonder what is going wrong- is it the coaching or are the athletes just not able to compete-given all the money spent on them, what is the problem.UKA need to address these problems - are the athletes basically continually prone to injury-and are they just hoping they might be fit on the right day. If so a pointless gamble.

3/03/2009 Rumoured New music tour-"Crazy Arthur Gordon" Brown is playing all over the world with his hit single"Put out the Fire"- with Tons' on guitar playing "Swing Low,sweet Chariot, I am glad i'am out of here" Their reprise "It's cool for Bank Cats". They would put the squeeze on...Pink Floyd reform with a new member Sirfred, to play "Money", the reformed Clash add Ken to the line up for "London's burning",the two remaining Beatles sing "where have all the diamonds"with the posh girls in London.

03/03/2009 Reflecting on the not-public news I received that another talented athlete has left athletics for another sport-due partly to more interest and support from the other sport NGB, I pause for reflection. Athletics is a strange sport in some ways- we have heard of 3 athletes pulling out of representing Team GB at the World Indoors because they want to focus on the Summer events. Did not the selectors know this before hand !! And why would anyone turn down the honour of representing their country, and should they be allowed to anyway as they are funded . Well most were, never quite sure whether Jade is or not.

What seems to be happening in Athletics is that athletes will focus to try and do as well as possible-for their personal benefit-not for the team. No other sport I am aware of would allow this to happen. Imagine a Rugby player saying well I don't fancy playing Wales, but am up for the Italy game-it would not and could not happen.

Maybe some Athletes are becoming a little too precious. Their are some rugby players out there who run pretty fast over 100m, and do it weekend in and out, getting smashed about on the pitch, but still show blistering speed. Makes running 60m or 200m on the flat with no-one stopping you seem quite easy. OK we all know their is a big difference between running a 10.4 and 9.8- and it takes training to get that extra.

Whether Athletes want to run more often is up to them, but what concerns me is this picking of whether to run for GB (or Wales,Scotland etc). The managers appear to let them do this, which is a disservice to the public. Believe it or not some of us want GB to win or succeed as a Team, not just individuals. Athletics faces the problem they have GB teams competing in what are basically Individual Competitions- World , European, Olympic Championships and also in the European League as a True Team effort.

So in the European League GB have to field a full team, but in the others not. Bit like England Rugby taking on the other's in the 6 Nations with only 13 or 14 players( which they have managed to do anyway despite fielding a full team of 15).

Its these qualification standards that are the problem. Why cannot GB just field a full team, or any other Nation, at any Championships. Is it the organisers who are just trying to get fields down- well if so in the overall budget of the Olympics they are achieving a miniscule saving- as are Teams like GB- does not taking 6 athletes in certain events save GB that much. The main cost is the support Team, a few athletes either way make not a jot of difference to the overall budget.

For example in the World Indoor Champs , Team GB will not be competing in every event. This is madness, maybe self imposed. Just select the best at the moment and take them- who knows what would happen, one might rise to the occasion and surprise us.

We need to just have a Championship selection meeting where all who compete, if they win, are selected. Tough to anyone who fails for whatever reason, but if the selectors want to take them as well anyway , add to them Team. That would be fair, let the best on the day go through to represent GB and forget these crazy standards. UKA need to stand up to the BOA and say we want to take a full team- end of story.

The regional NGB need to be funded so they can compete as full teams- the Home Nations should all have the funding to take a full team, stuff the requirement for Final or podium places, to the Commonwealth Games.

The BOA is just another quango, so up its proverbial, and part of the Olympic Movement which has changed a sport of Amateurs into the most ludicrously lavish spectacle of excess- the Opening and closing ceremonies.

If the British Olympic committee had any Balls, they would cancel the expensive Opening and Closing ceremonies and hold a minutes silence for all those killed in recent World wide conflicts, all the innocents murdered in Gaza, Iraq, Africa and Afghanistan who knows were else by 2012. Have a Bugler play the "Last Post" at the opening ceremony- Now that would be cool, and at the closing ceremony get Geldolf to get his rock and roll mates together and play "Imagine". That would be enough to get the point across in these fragile times-and it aint going to be any better by 2012. Take about 20 minutes to light the Flame, job done. OK may not pull in a big crowd, but they could use some other musicians, comedians and actors to entertain- and that has been our best export for years- not people waiting at Bus stops (sic Beijing). I am sure Lenny Henry, Dawn French, the Young Ones, Black Adder crew, Billy Connolly etc would be up for it-for free. That would be fun, not just 500 people wandering around trying to represent what Britain is.

I have never bothered to watch an opening or closing ceremony, never really understood the point. Maybe my problem, but from the glimpses I have seen , what waste of millions. I am interested in the sports, not the ceremonies.

And to end I would like to see a GB athlete in every Championship event, wherever they come.

27/02/2009 Benke Blomkvist who joined Welsh Athletics as Performance Coach is leaving shortly to return to Sweden, strong rumours have it. Benke Blomkvist joined WAA in July 2007 and

has been coaching several athletes, in particular up and coming Welsh Hurdler Rhys Williams. I understand he will be taking up a position in Sweden. No reasons have been given, but I understand that it is amicable parting.

It will however be a set back to WAA, who were presumably hoping to build on his experience to develop the Coaching structure throughout Wales. The example of UKA who have shifted emphasis recently to key appointements with strong coaching experience would seems an obvious model to follow, with more emphasis on Coaching experienced staff.

26/02/2009 "The raising of private-sector funds to support Olympic and Paralympic sport took a major step forward today with the announcement of a groundbreaking new partnership – Team 2012. All the major organizations involved in supporting British elite sport have joined forces to pool their collective rights and align their fundraising ambitions through to London 2012 and beyond." UK Sport PR.

Good luck to them- in the current financial climate they will need all the help they can get.

26/02/2009 Is it sexism ??

"MEN

60m: Dwain Chambers (Belgrave Harriers); Craig Pickering (Marshall Milton Keynes); Simeon Williamson (Highgate Harriers); 400m: Richard Buck (City of York); Nick Leavey (Thames Valley); 1500m: Neil Speaight (Belgrave Harriers); Chris Warburton (Notts AC); 3000m: Mark Draper (Bedford & County); Mo Farah (Newham & Essex); Nick McCormick (Morpeth Harriers); 60m hurdles: Allan Scott (Shaftesbury Barnet); Andy Turner(Sale Harriers Manchester); High Jump: Martyn Bernard (Wakefield Harriers); Samson Oni (Belgrave Harriers); Pole Vault: Steve Lewis (Newham & Essex); Long Jump: Greg Rutherford (Marshall Milton Keynes); Chris Tomlinson (Newham & Essex); Shot: Carl Myerscough (Blackpool, Wyre & Fylde); 4x400m: Buck, Dale Garland (Birchfield Harriers); Leavey, Nigel Levine (Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow); Phil Taylor (Liverpool, Pembroke & Sefton)

WOMEN

400m: Donna Fraser (Croydon Harriers); 800m: Jennifer Meadows (Wigan Harriers); Marilyn Okoro (Shaftesbury Barnet); 1500m: Hannah England (Oxford City); Susan Scott (City of Glasgow Victoria Park) 3000m: Katrina Wootton (Bedford & County); 60m hurdles: Gemma Bennett (Shaftesbury Barnet); Sarah Claxton (Woodford Green & Essex Ladies); Pole Vault: Kate Dennison (Sale Harriers Manchester) Long Jump: Jade Johnson(Herne Hill); Pentathlon: Kelly Sotherton (Birchfield Harriers); 4x400m: Vicki Barr (Rugby & Northampton); Tara Bird (Woodford Green & Essex Ladies); Fraser; Kim Wall (Basildon AC); Dawn Wilson (Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow).

Of course not, we have no female 60 m sprinters in the UK, and only 1 400m women sprinter.

26/02/2009 Dwain Chambers chat with Ontrackthletics

25/02/2009 Its a tough life -run a Bank into the ground and "Sir Fred Goodwin, the former chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, is already drawing a pension of £650,000 a year, despite only being 50.The BBC has learned that the pot that generates his pension is worth £16m.Sir Fred's strategy and decision to buy ABN Amro is widely seen as making the bank more vulnerable to the credit crunch"..BBC

No wonder the French had a revolution, these low life Bankers, who say sorry , but walk away with millions, are lucky. 300 years ago their head would be off.

25/02/2009 Visited the new Athletics stadium in Cardiff to-day, very impressive set up. I am not sure why the Celtic Youth Games are not held there, far better facility than Carmarthen. It all looks good, warm up area under the stadium, good viewing, and several rooms with good views- ideal for Hospitality. If Athletes are going to attend a games in Wales, lets give them the best, and sadly Carmarthen is never going to be that, friendly place as it is.

25/02/2009 Interesting day, couple of meetings which were interesting. I was less impressed to discover that the movers on the Commonwealth Games eligibility changes, were,apparently, England, Scotland and Wales- the CGC for each of those Nations. I understand that all the other Commonwealth Nations were happy were existing rules. So congratulations to the UK Home Country Commonwealth bodies for a spectacular own goal. I am however reasonably confident that given the outcry from the regional sports bodies that sense will be bought back in and a 5 year eligibility rule will be accepted. Personally felt 2 years was to low- 5 years seems acceptable, you can be a GB citizen in that time. Lets hope in time for 2010. If you want to voice your views email your Countries CGC-I will add links later.

24/02/2009 British Road Running Grand Prix. Click on link for more info.

23/02/2009 The Scots have a good Poetic tradition- my Scottish Gt Grandfather wrote a book of poems, but that's an aside. Well done to Scotland at Celtic and for the below-:

In fair Cardiff, where we lay our scene,
Where dragons are slayed and the Irish are late,
Nigel told us not to leave it to fate.
'El Capitan' added, 'let's have some fun',
But got interrupted, by a call from his mum.
The sun had set, the next day came,
Great performances happened, too many to name.
We went out hard, gave it our all,
Making our rivals look rather small.
The story how Scotland was victorious once more
Read and enjoy it, it won't be a bore...

Jumping Jayne played her part,
Getting the team off to a winning start

On her debut with the team,
Henrietta in the pole vault was supreme

Alice in jumping land performed with zest,
In long and shot with two personal bests

Round and round the track he went,
Ian's PB in the 1500m event

Ryan ran a really fast dash,
Wasn't his best, but not a hash

In the 60 Jade displayed,
A fine performance that she thought was frayed

Off the board towards the sand,
Jude made the furthest mark with his land

It may have been close in the Shot,
But it was won, in the end, won by our Scott

Though Robbo jogged the bend,
He still won in the end

Although the four was over in a flash,
A good show was put on by Ash

Scott gave five meters a good go,
Putting on an excellent show

With a hop, skip and jump - JC
Leaped to, a huge new PB

In the hurdles our captain Fran,
Crossed the line the winning man

Over the hurdles Gemma goes,
Beating all her other foes

Oudney led from the gun,
Crossing the line #1

Off the last bend Jenny ran
Giving her competitors' backsides a tan

In the 4x4 a record was made
Four young men made the grade
Bowie exploded from the blocks
Using his elbows to give some knocks
Next was Donnie, continuing the pace
To keep the team in first place
Up stepped Oudney fresh from his 8,
Continued his form to dominate
Kris sailed home, baton in tack
Scotland won and that was that!

Pat, Nige & John kept us on track
They deserve a pat on the back

Five in a row, we are hoping to go
See you next year, to produce another great show!

Jamie Bowie
(Greatly assisted by Jayne Nisbet, Ryan Oswald, Jenny Tan & Nigel Hetherington)

23/02/2009 I am truly confused about UK Athletics-well what is going on. We have seen a huge Investment in Facilities-mainly Indoors, some of which only the Elite can use. But the Elite are overseas training. UKA are employing new Coaches from abroad to develop the Elite. So are any of them actually in the UK ? Christine O popped over to the UK from South Africa, and has run twice- the Sunday Times journalist was wrong in stating she had run only one Indoor meeting in Birmingham, she had also run in Northern Ireland, which last time I checked was still in the UK and an Indoor meeting. Now she is off to USA to train, which really makes one wonder what is wrong with UK training facilities.

The weather presumably, can't blame from that, shame that all the young kids cannot benefit from half decent facilities, let alone being able to float around the world from S.A to USA via GB. CO is not the only one, seems several disappear offshore to train- Williamson was one, of I guess many.

This must cost a bundle of money- I assume they pay little out of their own pocket whilst overseas.

What confuses me is what are all the paid coaches in the UK doing- or are they out there as well. And if they are all abroad are UK anti doping there as well ? If so it's costing a fortune.

Now if the athletes are funding their Winter training personally fine, maybe they are. If not, then it's a disgrace that an Amateur sport, funded by the tax payer, and let's not forget this, Athletics is meant to be an Amateur sport, is using limited funding for the elite to train overseas.

What would be helpful if UKA disclosed the individual costs of supporting the elite to compete- not just the personal funding, but the total cost for each individual athlete.

Doubt they will, but it would be an interesting figure. And UK Sport should disclose how may Drug tests they do on Athletes training overseas. Since an Athlete is bound to disclose their whereabouts at any day, UK sport must be carrying out tests overseas.

23/02/2009 "Scotland won the Celtic Indoor International for the fourth successive year with a series of brilliant performances at the National Indoor Athletics Centre in Cardiff yesterday" From Scottish website- the hosts, Wales are very quiet on the full team results. It cant be tat hard to add up the points.

20/02/2009 "On Sunday 22nd of February, the highlight of the domestic indoor athletics season(Wales-my comment) comes to the National Indoor Athletics Centre, Cardiff. The Senior & U20 Celtic Cup, which pitches some of Wales’ best athletes against their counterparts from the Home Countries, is one of the best occasion to admire emerging talents on track and field, and to spend an action-packed day in one of the UK’s finest athletic arenas." See WAA site.

It sounds good, my idea of music appears to have been taken up.Wish I could be there, but have to work.

I love Indoor Athletics- far more pleasant than an Outdoor event. No rain, no wind, good views from various angles, depending where I sit. I can get a coffee, watch the events, see people, its fab. Outdoors is a nightmare, it either rains or is too hot, seating is grim. Given the choice I would go to the NIAC in Cardiff, NIA in Birmingham or Kelvin Hall. I gather Sheffield is good as well.

19/02/2009 British athletics bosses are set to announce a new "Twenty20"-style series that will be staged on summer evenings, BBC Sport has learned.The "Super 8" series will pit city-based teams against each other in action-packed, two-hour contests.

Something I have been suggesting for so many years. Happy others now think it is a good idea. Short form athletics.

Letter on the BBC site:

"What Dr Jonathan Grix’s summary of his research paper actually highlighted was the fact that UK Sport and Sport England, those two chameleonic stalwarts of sporting bureaucracy, have imposed on British athletics is a tick-a-box-administration that lacks accountability to the sport.......

19/02/2009 "Meseret Defar of Ethiopia shattered the world indoor record in the women's 5,000 metres at the GE Gala track and field meet in Stockholm on Wednesday.Defar, 25, covered the distance in a time of 14 minutes 24.37 seconds, eclipsing the previous mark of 14:27.42, set by Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia in 2007."

19/02/2009 I will have Dwain Chambers book for review on 9th March-Publication Date- Publishers are emailing me an electronic copy , embargoed until then as Daily Mail have serilisation rights. Can't wait, hope it is frank and honest.

18/02/2009 Quick look at Scottish results age results- nothing I can see that excites, but I have only had a cursory glance. But this w/e Celtic International will see where they all are. The only safe bet is Mica Moore to win the 60m for Wales. Wales might just win this Match, wish I could be there, but I have to work. If some-one there could text me results as they happen I will add to Twitter..

18/02/2009 WADA are not giving in- and I support that. So a few highly paid sports people think it an infringement on their personal liberties. Tough- wake up and think who pays for you to earn your millions. It' us, so just grow up and face the facts we want clean sport, and it's really not an issue. Some of these sport people-especially the Tennis players, are such prima's. My heart bleeds for them..not.

They want the money, but have a hissy fit when some-one dares to suggest they play by the World Drug Doping rules. I am in tears as I write this, earn millions playing sport and have to piss in a bottle occassionaly. It's a tough life. Many fans could not even afford the bottle to piss in.

Strangely most of us in the world have to be in one place every day- we do not have the ability to jump around from place to place, because strangely, our employers want us to be in the factory or office. And for many, if sick they get little pay. Imagine a Tennis player getting the minimun sick benefit because he/she was ill- £70.00 per week I think.

When they wake up, they might realise that therefore pissing in a bottle when asked to, is a little bit better than working in a factory-and the wages seem slightly more.

And of course I would tell the 3 WASP players who have left for France , that they would never play for England again. They cannot fulfil the obligations for the Coach to have them in training for 2 weeks prior to an International, and however good they are, drop them. It is ironic that because they play for England, they have had the offers- and despite England's performance they are good individual players. But been brought up through the English system,now leaving for foreign shores.I appreciate that there are wage cap issues within Europe, but do not these guys actually realise they are well paid anyway for playing a game- and have some pride in playing for England and competing weekly against their peers.They of course will not get the same weekly coverage in the UK press. Do they care, probably not.

Professional Sport is a mess- greed-, too many earning money in both administration and as players. Lets hope Athletics does not go the same way, but the Admin is already well paid, so guess not long before athletes demand the same. Time we all accepted no Sport is truly Amateur- apart from maybe Curling.

I am also a Catholic-by birth. Pretty doomed "Msgr Giertych said the most difficult sin for men to face was lust, followed by gluttony, sloth, anger, pride, envy and greed. For women, the most dangerous sins were pride, envy, anger, lust, and sloth, he added. The researcher of the above was the youthful Fr Roberto Busa, a 95-year-old Jesuit scholar.

Bit surprised, I would have had greed a bit higher up. My only fear as a Child Catholic was being sent to the Jesuit school at Stoneyhurst-rather than the Benedictine School of Ampleforth. One day my book will appear, though Rupert Everett did a bit on it, and Lawrence Dallaglio. Best book on Ampleforth, banned by the monks," Monk Dawson" by Piers Paul Read, a bit older than me.

The below is about economics:-

18/02/2009 "Tough guy " Mandelson is back in the firing zone- some -one dared to suggest that the UK economy was in a spiral. He got upset, bless him. The Labour circus is getting very touchy, Chief Clown takes time out to appluad a Big Brother winner- and sad it it is for her family, but maybe the Chief has more important things to worry about. Junior Clown, the Fall guy, should be worried about the exchange rate-I have had a dismal week of 15-20% price rises in the business, because apparently sterling is knackered against the Yen- and I thought Japan was in a mess. Like all good citizens we are absorbing as much as we can, in other words we will trade and reduce margins, so no jobs down here-sorry.

Of course when-if ever-sterling appreciates as a currency-we will not see price cuts-do we ever !! Facts are the Far Eastern Countries are seeing huge wage inflation as they become"modernised". Hell, soon we might even start making things again in the UK.

Chief Scot of England blames the World- facts are they have allowed criminal behaviour within the Banks- the US Funds who have ripped Billions are just the tip of the Iceberg. There has been a systematic Financial fraud going on for years- disguised as hiring the best, but just playing with figures- these people are not that bright, believe me, I worked with them. Greedy, yes and clever in getting paid loads of money- but bright and Interested in developing the UK economy, no way.

I was a huge fan of Maggie Thatcher, but I am afraid she will go down in history as the architect of this disaster "Big Bang" in the City, has, as some of us predicted become the "Big Disaster". Greed is not good. I am glad I left in 1989 as an honest person. And not rich.

17/02/2009 Old news is getting a bit fill, so probably slow to download. I will start a new Old News page.

But to-day no news !! Well just looked at the figures for the site, the site had 11.493 visits, 4412 Unique visitors and 18993 page views in the last month.

Thanks to everyone who visits and contributes to the site. I hope you will all join in with the Twitter idea, just text in results to me on 07805 425358 or tell me your Twitter Home page. It really could be a great and instant service of interest to all. I am sure one of the National Athletics bodies will start doing it soon.

But at the moment my main concern is the question of eligibilty for the Commonwealth Games. It appears that the CGC have changed the rules, but provided no solution. They cannot just state some-one is not Welsh because they were not born in Wales, or one parent was not. Nationality in this case must be about some form of long term commitment to the Nation you live in. Since my neighbour, a Dutchman, is now a British citizen, it cannot be to hard to come up with a similiar case for being Welsh, or Scottish or from the other GB regions that make up the Commonwealth teams. So instead of endless appeals, let's just wake up and make a decision- 2 years was crazy for eligibility, forget that, make it 10 years and lets save some money(in appeals) and let Athletes(of all sports) know where they stand. Or is that too simple...

16/20/2009 Lib Dems' spokesperson on culture and heritage, Eleanor Burnham. Her view on 2012 Olympics. She raises interesting issues about the Games- Wales has-lost lottery funding. That's not fair- and she is right to highlight the fact that Wales is being ignored. This is an issue-and one that needs addressing fast. The regions within UK can contribute to the GB Team, but look at the facts. N.I athletes are deciding to join Eire ,rather than team GB. The Scottish are undecided politically. The Welsh are just screwed by the system, drip fed with a bit of cash, but no serious investment in Athletics in the principality.

Teams for Celtic Games -Senior and U20 . U16 here. Good luck to all of them-.

I am not in my bunker ,England were Ok, and maybe should have won- but as soon as the referee was announced, odds were stacked against England. The guy has a history of penalizing England, - I am not a huge fan of SA and I would ban this guy from ever referring any International match. England penalised, but allowed to put in crooked at the scrum .Wales should have been sin binned for taking a man out in the air(as in Scotland last week). Vickery penalised, did he(the Ref)not realise the Welsh were playing the game and creating havoc in the scrum.

I was discussing this with an Irish man to-day, who played a bit. Rugby is getting dull, sin binning should be for dirty behavior, not protecting the ball. Thank God we do not have a White South African monitoring athletics- everyone would be DQ. A truly grim Nation, who could supply chips to the whole of the UK. Ok they were banned for years for their atrocious Racist views, but we let you back in so wake up and be thankful. South African Whites are on a par with Israel. That is not a compliment.

Israel, a lovely land should be banned from competing in International sport. They are an arrogant, racist country who believe that we should accept them. The atrocities they have committed, should be condemned by the Sporting world. The politicians will not. They are too scared.

Sport is sometimes too soft , and the fragmented Israeli state must be banned from International competition until they stop murdering people. It is as simple as that, they are killing innocent adults and children.

And the rest-anyone killing people for Politics is wrong, and achieves nothing. Why the politician's cannot grasp this, is beyond me? Allowing murderous regimes to compete is wrong-and I am afraid we are up there. We have no rights to interfere in other Countries- who say's that Capitalism is correct as an economic discipline-it has failed in the so called developed world-a load of greedy individuals, who get away with crimes because we think they are clever or posh. History will show that they are neither.

End of my homily, the monastry I was educated in would , I am sure be surprised. Let's face it a Catholic Monastry is the purest from of Communism, and just at the moment I would rather see that than the antics of Brown and Darling.

15/02/2009 Good news from Wales -Lauren Bell Pembroke H/Bro Gwaun School Fishguard won under 15 800m title in Birmingham today in 2:15.34. Broke Sarah Meads age group record of 2:17.30 set in 1994 and was also under 17 age group record beating Benytta Doman's time of 2:16.74 set last winter. She competes for Wales in Celtic Schools' Indoor on Sunday. She won race last year despite being only 13yrs old.

15/02/2009 What a weekend- been gardening to-day, lovely weather, dig out the frustration of watching England play 16 at Cardiff. But the results from the trials raise more questions-Chamers, Maduaka and Fraser. Who would have thought that on Friday( well Cambers maybe). Where are the others- it seems not quite to be happening in the sprints.

Glad to see others are getting on the Twitter scene- if anyone is going to Twitter results , let me know and I will add a link on a new Twitter page. It is really easy to set up a Twitter page, and then all you need is a mobile. Join in, we could have a fantastic page of Twitters. You can download a banner that will keep you aware of all twitters available.

13/02/2009 Welsh Athletics on You Tube

13/02/2009 England V Wales 28-16-on the way to a Grand Slam-but thats the U20 Result. I totally support Wales in Athletics,and hope they all do well to-morrow and the AAA Champs. But as English, played rugby, I have followed England rugby since year dot,and cannot shake it off. Strange, I love to see a good Welsh performance against the English- apart from Rugby. So my daughter will be thrilled if Wales win, -luckily she is on her way to Austria-and I have now been persuaded to go to the Laugharne Rugby club to watch the Game- 3 Englishmen in a Bar full of Welsh.It's all about sport. Just hope it's a good game ( we always say that as English when we think we re going to lose- and I doubt we will see the same result as the U20's.

13/02/2009 "UK Drug Testing:UK Sport carried out a total of 1,407 tests between 1 October and 31 December last year via its national anti-doping programme, according to figures released today by the organisation. This takes the total number of tests for 2008/09 to 5,603." They have table of Q3which to be honest I cannot fully understand.

As I undestand the rules are going to be challenged in Court, UK Sport plough on "Drug-Free Sport, has sought to calm recent concerns expressed about new athlete whereabouts rules which came in to place at the start of the year. He describes the requirement of certain athletes to provide whereabouts information for one hour a day, seven days a week as “a small price to pay for clean athletes to help us drive cheats out of sport”. Then "“I think in many ways too much significance is attached to the hour time slot; it is just one mechanism we use for testing athletes. With the information available to us through the system we increase our ability to test outside the designated hour, making our programme more unpredictable and increasing the chances of catching athletes who are breaking the rules, while protecting those who are clean."

I have referred to this before- the potentially illegal use of Genetic Profiling. I have been assured by various authorities that this is not happening, but his comment would seem to suggest it is now the thrust of anti-doping. I am totally oppossed to the use of material gathered to create genetic profiles and so determin an anti-doping strategy. It is fundementally wrong, and must be stopped-now.

12/01/2009 The Dragon awakes "Welsh Athletics would like to wish the Welsh athletes and coaches good luck in achieving their goals at this weekend's England Athletics Junior Championships in Birmingham and the Aviva European Trials/ UK Championships in Sheffield.For those athletes, coaches and parents attending the Junior Championships in Birmingham, James Thomas (Talent Development Manager) would like to invite you to join him in section 3 to generate support for all the Welsh athletes competing this weekend. " From WAA site

Finally WAA is listening and reacting to comments- and that is good for the future of the Sport in Wales.

Shame about Matt Newman's comments in the U17/20 programme which menioned the WDTA and wished them good luck."Welsh Athletics has recently confirmed the 22 athletes and their coaches who will form this year's Welsh Talent Develpment academy...good luck to those Academy athletes competing this weekend." Then later:

"Whether an athlete , coach, parent or part of the support team making this event happen, I hope you wll all enjoy the Championships and acheive your personal goals".

I am sure Matt Newman did not mean it, but sounded like thanks to the rest of you for turning up to provide competion for the WTDA. The careful use of words is so important, and the message you send out more so.

11/01/2009 The BBC keep calling any meeting they do not cover as "low key". Well may be low key to them , but not to the athletes who attend. The reporter who keeps typing this should wake up. The fact the BBC think any athletics meeting not attended by a host of International Stars or a Selection meeting is their problem. The BBC employ the most inarticulate, biased reporters covering sport. If I have to listen to Jonathan Davies following a rugby match I will just turn it off. The Scotland/Wales commentray was so biased- Wales were fantastic, brilliant every minute,great,brilliant pass. He did not coment on the talented Stephen Jones nightmare kicking game. Moore is as bad for England. Get rid of them.

Sadly I will have to listen to Davies in the England v. Wales Game, which England will sadly get hammered. I have prepared the bunker, Internet access , a few beers, some bread and cheese and will be in there for a few weeks. When I come out it should be spring.

Any Athletics meeting where they state that the winner and the fastest losers will go to the final ?. They should state that the first in each heat and the X number of fastest times will go through to the final. Not losers. Please.

10/02/2009 I do not understand Christine O, or her advisers. Win World Champs and Olympics and turn up in Ireland to run rubbish . Why she did 60m, when she is so poor at starting is a mystery, young Mica Moore below , from Wales would have probably beaten her, let alone the other talented Youth in UK. Then to run 24.33 in the 200m- hardly inspiring, maybe insulting to the organisers. A good U15 would beat this time.What is an Olympic Gold Medallist playing at competing in these events- if you have won Olympic Gold, for the sake of the paying public , put in a performance. Taking appearance money, given all that has happened is a bit like a Banker taking a bonus.

I cannot recall any athlete doing this- most would want to perform -and win-to show their class. Christine O failed, and I would think probably disappointed her fans. Others will probably just realise she is beatable, if they can peak with the ability of Christine O for a World/Olympic final. She has set no records to my knowledge, so the 400m remains wide open to some-one who can start well and maintain it for the whole 400m.

Maybe C.O will know just start running 400m and allow UK athletes to compete regularly against her over that event- she should not just run 200m etc and get selected-Olympic Champion or not. So C.O come out in the summer and just run 400m and let the other's have a run against you-more than once. Doubt she will.

09/02/2009 Mica Moore equalled Danielle Selley WAA 60m time- and if she runs at UKA will break it.

07/02/2009 So we got to the Welsh U20-despite poor conditions in West Wales. I have added the results that were available now to the site- why all are not available, I am not sure. But the Twitter experiment seemed to work- I know I left early apologies, but the few tweets I did hit the server- it a fascinating medium- more anon.

I left early because as the results show Emily did not get through to the finals- no great surprise as this was just an event to compete- not try and win. I am always conscious when parents say this- or athletes state- it is seemed as an excuse. Facts are she has been injured for over two years, that's sorted hopefully, her training with her coaches has been about getting fit, not speed work. She wanted to compete -as do all athletes, and knew the facts- she is neither race or speed fit. So she competed, finished both the 200m and 400m, no niggles, bit of lactic acid build up at 250m in the 400m, but nothing that cannot be sorted with hard work. And that is her choice. Never seen her so nervous before the 200m heat, tied up badly from the start. The 400m was better-over 200m-same time as the 200m, but looked a whole lot better. It is hard coming back from long term injury, but I think she made the right choice- have a run in a Meeting, expect little and just compete and accept that running well below your PB is part of the rebuilding process. To me that show guts-and courage. She is still young and is determined to get back on track-she loves the sport and I hope she does-as I am sure all athletics fans would wish any talented youngster to get back on form.The sport needs competition at all levels to bring out the best in all. Any way no more races until the summer- hopefully then she will be back on track sub 25 for 200m- 3 years late. End of the Emily story- but if it helps anyone else believe in carrying on, worth it.( And there are many I am aware in the same position).

So while I was Tweeting away at the results board- I must say, sadly, it was the most useless commentary- no results announced and the Trackside Clock- when it worked-was inaccurate- how can that be , you may ask. Well, I am not sure, but the winner of most Female 200m clocked at plus 28 secs- actually 2 secs faster. You could see the clock jump from 24 to 26 in a blink. At I paid £5.00 to get in, but go a very nice programme. But it happens every meet, surely getting the trackside clock to work is not that hard.

Ok bad sentence above, while Tweeting a delightful Lady stood next to me, asked what I was doing, did I have an athlete competing. Fair question. She was Mrs Anthony, on the Board of Welsh athletics, previously from Netball. Charming, and showed real interest. Then Matt Newman appeared, CEO Welsh athletics with William Ponissi,the new PR and Media man. Matt is a good guy- he takes my comments re WAA in good humour and I think he does take note- not just of me, but others. WAA is a complex body, funded sadly just by UKA, though he hopes to be getting a Kit deal shortly. It is tough to get much funding at the moment-we all know that. Interestingly he said is that they are hoping to get a resolution to the eligibility rules re Commonwealth games shortly. As I have , I hoped made clear, this is not a WAA issue, it affects all Commonwealth Nations in all sports. Mrs Anthony said it is affecting a broad spectrum of sport in Wales( and therefore the other Commonwealth Nations). I believe they want an early resolution of this issue as much as the Athletes. 10 years continuous residence should be enough.

Then William Ponissi, the PR man. (Sorry William , Italy were beaten by England). Another nice man, really interested in promoting Welsh Athletics. I told him that part of the problem with communication is that people are concerned if they make comment's their kids will suffer. That is of course rubbish, performances count- not what athletes or coaches or parents have said. So if you have a problem or concern email William- he genuinely wants feed back from grass roots. And you should, he can't deal with coaching issues but can with the PR/Media side of WAA- and shows a real desire to develop communication with both Media and Clubs/Athletes.

So we had a " Love In" and it was good. The only one's who did not approach me were the Performance Directors- or whatever they are called-they know who they are. Why should they ?Not even sure they were there- if they were they kept a very low profile.

It as nice to meet up with people I have seen over the years- particularly the gentleman who helped push start my car- I had left lights on-many thanks.

06/02/09 Lets hope the weather is Ok and all have entered the Welsh U17/20 can make it. Not a huge entry list, but some interesting races. The results will be twittered.

05/02/2009 Not sure what is happening in Scotland , hardly recognised an athlete in the Sprints at seniors- well Kris Robertson- but times were less than brill. Maybe the younger athletes do not compete at Scottish Seniors-shame, because it might of made better reading.

05/02/2009 New Nado to have £7.2m budget-"The new NADO, provisionally titled ‘UK Anti-Doping’, will take on existing testing and education responsibilities from UK Sport, whilst also being granted significant new powers to ensure Britain is best-placed to tackle doping in sport in the run-up to London 2012 and beyond."

And my updated Tweet from mobile worked- it's looking good.

05/02/2009 The "Twitter" blogwill move off the front page soon, but will be there for this Saturday when it looks like I will be at the Welsh U20/17. I will Tweet the results via my Mobile, and hopefully it will work and the results of the first 3 should appear.(Tweets have limited space). So sign in to Twitter of look at this page. I think it will be the first Twitter of an Athletics meeting, well that I am aware of, in the UK. The results will also be appearing on the Welsh Athletics site, but my Tweets should be instantaneous after a race. Assuming it all works, and snow permitting I get there, then I will be triyng to develop a Twitter site where anyone can Text in Tweets of Live results from all over the country. But do sign in please, it makes a Twitter happy to know he has people following.

p.s later-seems not possible- but if you text me a results I will add it to the Twitter- My Text is 07805 425358.

04/02/2009 "The Elite squad is the top of the tree so to speak.Well if you strengthen the roots you'll have a much bigger tree!" Comment rgarding funding of Athletics-I totally agree, a great metaphor- wished I had come up with it. See more on the Forum

03/02/2009 Bulgaria’s Ivet Lalova has won the 60m sprint event at the indoor tournament in Vienna with 7.35 sec.

03/02/2009 I am Tweeting around- well trying to utilise Twitter on the site- at the moment a new panel on the right, showing latest updates on my Twitter pages. I will continue to play with this, so please be patient and understand I am trying new technology out. I am trying to work out a way any one can Tweet results or comments through instantly, but it will take some time. But for the moment please subscribe, follow my tweets and lets hope we can make this really interesting. I am not scared of technology-it was 10 years ago I came up with the silly idea of a Rankings list based on a live web based database of performances .It can be done, but I do not have the resources of the BBC. Ranking are now well covered, so the future is in instant results- and of course views. But for the moment you could add my Twitter site to your site- any probs email me.It will stop being a trial soon, and just have short news and results.

2/02/2009 At the "low key"(sic) Birmingham Games not only did Chambers run well, but included a Danish record in the women’s 200m. There were also 3 other Meeting records. Not Bad for what the BBC and others keeping referring to a "Low Key " event. One of my favourite Indoor meets- wish I had been able to attend.

01/02/2009 Our Welsh version of the Sunday Times had no mention of Athletics- on line Pickering is now Scottish "CRAIG PICKERING vowed not to rise to any further provocation from Dwain Chambers last night, but even the Scot’s victory over 60m at the Aviva International in Glasgow failed to silence the argument between the pair. " To my knowledge he was born in Crawley, Sussex- not Scotland. The Times really is a ghasty paper,I only buy the ST because my kids like the Style magazine. Never again. I mean it.

31/10/2009 So we had to fine sprint performances- Chambers and Pickering. It is going to be a great race between Chambers and Pickering, and whatever happens I predict we will see both run sub 10.00 over the 100m this summer. Pickering really needs to do this- and on this sort of form will. And then once he has done this I am sure he will get down lower- its a big milestone, and if he could manage a couple of sub 10.00 this summer, who knows where he could go. Chambers is just looking so good, I am sure he will get down to 9.90 if he gets the races his talent deserves. Pickering is starting better, I am not convinced he is perfect yet- seemed a slight falter, but I was watching on a Laptop. However Kelvin Hall is a quick 60m track based on my experience of watching youth athletes compete there and in Birmingham and Cardiff.

Would it not be great to see a 6.49 time when they meet up for the Selection . Could they ? Dwain looks up for it, and if Pickering treats Chambers with respect and does not get caught up in a row about whether Chambers should be running, will be close to him- but I suspect fractionally behind. He should not let this worry him, Chambers can help him on his path to compete with the Jamaican's in 2012- which is what all British fans want to see- and I am sure Chambers, who cannot compete at the Olympics, would endorse and support if he is treated with the respect his current performances deserve- he is a repented sinner. There are a few others- Scot Nick Smith running as a guest had a good run of 6.63(PB) and was finishing fast.

Email received "We were at Brum today and as you predicted Chambers did the business. It was interesting though to see how the crowd and his fellow athletes would react. If there is a battle to win their hearts and minds he seemed to do himself some good today. The crowd warmly applauded him and responded with real delight at his times in the heats and semis. Just before the final the loudspeaker was blaring out the old Rocky warhorse “eye of the tiger” and one could sense maybe this was a survivor battling to get back in and earn the respect and appreciation of a nation that badly needs some guys who can run fast and win us some medals .I have two youngsters of my own in athletics and I give Chambers no thanks at all for bringing their sport into disrepute with yet another drug scandal. For a 17 year old dec athlete who puts his body on the line with six training sessions a week there is nothing more demoralising to think that there are others out there who are prepared to, and will cheat their way to success. And until today this is what I thought I would continue to feel about Chambers. However seeing him do his stuff down the 60 metres it brought home what an inspiration he could have been to others. My feelings now are that if he can come back but come back clean – then good luck to him and I wish him success on his journey."

I agree and we want winners- I am not as bi-partisan as the BBC who seem to support any International athlete based on Performances. I am totally Partisan- I want to see GB win- pretty simple-because then the sport in GB will get a higher profile, more kids make it a sport of choice and the more we have in the sport, the better we will perform. So I recognise great athletes from all over the world, just wish they were all British !!

And BBC reporters did not ask a delighted Pickering about Chambers performance- what do they want a public spat and a quick quote. I thought it disgraceful, and I would have walked off. Pickering handled it well.

Mo Farah broke the GB 3000m record- well done to him.

The Birmingham games had- as it always does a great "buzz" I am told. The BBC called it a low key meet, but they would as they were not there. It is a fantastic meeting, and I wish I had been there.

31/01/2009 Pete Stafford, a member of the WAA Office team has got a new job with European Athletics. Always helpful I wish him well in his new job which starts April 1st.

30/01/2009 A year ago I bumped into a trimmed down fit Dwain Chambers-literally- at the Birmingham Games. He was focussed on the job in hand, and was polite, as Dwain always is- I was fiddling around with cables trying to get a live broadcast done. That was a year ago, and Dwain delivered in style.

To-morrow I will sadly not be at the Birmingham Games, but expect that Dwain will deliver again and get his place in the GB team for Euro Indoors- which he will then win.

The tragedy of Dwain will haunt us all- one of the potentially all time greats who messed it up. I admire the guy, just wish he would go public and state who got him into this mess. I am sure he did not do this of his own accord, he is a nice guy. Too honest for his own good, but not honest enough to name and shame. Dwain, for your fans, please just tell us how it happened?

I have meant to say during the week, but its been busy one for me, WAA report on the Seniors was good- and not a mention of WTDA. I am sure my sarcasm had no effect, but this was a decent report- well done to the Media officer.

If anyone can explain what this means from UK sport I would be grateful

“Furthermore, we are in close talks with our partners in the high performance system to develop an innovative and exciting proposal for private sector sponsors. This will leave us well-placed to continue to build an effective sustainable world-class performance system, allowing our athletes to achieve success in 2012 and beyond.”The figures announced today by UK Sport include an option for each sport to ‘frontload’ their four-year award - making all of the investment available in 2009/10 and 2010/11. This maximizes the impact of each investment, albeit with a risk in terms of longer-term certainty, allowing all sports to continue to progress with their World Class Performance Programmes until a review in 2011. "

I thought I had a brain until I read this- its PR garbish. Why cannot any-one just speak in plain English anymore !! I genuinely do not understand what they mean, double dutch (apologies to the one Dutchman I will have upset) .

"Johan van der Meulen (11 January 1915, Breda - 13 September 2005, Breda), better known by his pseudonym John O'Mill (a jocular translation of his given name, as if O' stands for "of the"), is a Dutch author mostly known for his wordplay and limericks, and for using a combination of Dutch and English words and sentence structures he called "Double Dutch". Double Dutch appears English, but it cannot be fully understood without knowledge of Dutch, because it is based on the literal translation of Dutch idioms into English and the similarity in sound of certain words and expressions. O'Mill, who was until 1975 a teacher of English on the public highschool "Rijks-HBS" at Breda near Rotterdam, was inspired to this by the clumsy English used by his pupils." From Wikepedia

29/10/2009 One of the all time best British Musicians, John Martyn has died today- I saw him often in the 1980's, love his music. I will miss him, as will many. No guesses what I will be listening to this sad night. Top man. If you have never heard him you should check out his albums-Solid Air is one of the all time classics.

29/01/2009 Response to my Open Letter to CGF:

"The eligibility rules for competing in the Commonwealth Games are set by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) which is made up of the 71 nations and territories, including Wales.These member nations are known as Commonwealth Games Associations (CGA) who in turn set their own selection criteria for a Games using the relevant CGF eligibility rule as a basic fundamental. The CGA then communicates these rules/criteria to all of its affiliated national governing bodies. The CGAs also put forward suggested changes to the CGF Constitution as detailed within Article 30. The current eligibility rule was adopted in November 2003 by the CGAs and applied to the 2004 & 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games and 2006 Commonwealth Games. They are also applicable for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.As with all Games’ (including the Olympics ref: Olympic Charter) and international events there are unique circumstances that apply to individuals when it comes to eligibility (e.g., citizenship, competed for another country in the past etc). These are brought to our attention by the relevant CGA who either provide further evidence to confirm an athlete is eligible to compete for that nation at the Games in question or, they seek a dispensation under the CGF rules citing exceptional/unique circumstances for that individual. The Executive Board then takes a decision based on the information presented and previous policy decisions. At all times with this process the CGF works with and through the CGA only and not the athlete in question or the national governing body for the sport concerned. They in turn work through the CGA. For further information on how an athlete would be eligible to compete for Wales at a Commonwealth Youth Games & Commonwealth Games please contact the Commonwealth Games Council of Wales http://www.teamwales2010.co.uk/ "

I am grateful for the speedy response from CGF- but it does not answer the fundemental question of why the CGF did not lay down a new ruling, rather than making the NGB (National Governing Bodies) appeal through their National CGC.

Eligibility to compete should not be arbitary-by appeal- there should be a simple criteria. The CGF should realise that precedents will be set when Individuals apply for exemption and succeed (or fail), and therefore it would be simpler if the rules were laid down. The Commonwealth works on the basis of British Law- which is a law based on precedent - The CGF need to accept that therefore the "Human rights" of an individual follow this- "The Commonwealth's structure is based largely on unwritten and traditional procedures and not on a formal charter or constitution."

The CGF must accept that they herefore have no authority to make a decision on citizenship outside of the"Citizenship" status as degreed by the British Government, headed by HM The Queen.

28/01/2009 Having looked at the CGF Constitution in depth, the issue is all about, as we know, Citizenship. In the UK we do no have separate Citizenship for the Individual components of the UK- hence the problem for UK athletes seeking to compete for the constituent parts of the UK. The rules are in Article 24.2 "Subject to Article 24(3), where a competitor was born in a Commonwealth Country that has common citizenship/passport with other Commonwealth countries, the competitor may initially represent either the competitor's Commonwealth country of birth; or the Commonwealth Country of birth of his or her father or mother that shares the same citizenship/passport. " But Article 24(5) states "The Executive Board shall have the power to waive the provisions of Articles 24 (1-3) in its discretion".

The issue is therefore the vague article 24(5) which is unsatisfactory- it means that despite the rules they can be over ruled for a particular athlete, depending on circumstances-in other words on-appeal.

So I have written an Open Letter to the CGF suggesting they clarify this issue, to avoid time consuming and costly appeals, and resolve the issues for athletes who are concerned about their eligibility for a Commonwealth Nation.

"Dear Sirs,

I have had the opportunity of reading the amendments to the CGF Constitution with regard to Eligibility .These changes have affected particularly Athletes within the UK-Wales is a small Country within the Commonwealth, and like Scotland, England and Northern Ireland(and the Islands) part of GB. As a result of the GB Constitution, the constituent parts of GB have no individual Passports or legal citizenship charters. I will focus on Wales as an example of the problems Athletes are facing. Other than the Welsh born in Wales from Welsh Families

3 scenarios can occur-there may be more.

1) Non Welsh Family who have a child born on Wales-eligible

2) Welsh based (neither parents born in Wales) family-one born in England, the other in Wales. So one eligible.

3) Old Welsh Family from year dot, but mother born overseas, father English, and child born in England.

So since grandparents(etc) are no longer an claim, Athletes will be appealing based on "Citizenship", which does not exist legally in the constituent parts of GB. As I understand it each case will be judged individually, which seems time consuming and a waste of money.

May I suggest that it would be easier to adopt a sensible approach to define "Citizenship" of one of the constituents of GB. The British approach to eligibility for citizenship of GB is below:

"If you are over 18 and have been living in the United Kingdom for the last five years you may be able to apply for naturalisation as a British citizen."

Over 18 is a legal matter, but the point is that the British Government accept living in the UK for a period of 5 year makes you eligible for citizenship. It would therefore seem to me that the CF should accept the same. Whilst the British regions cannot grant citizenship, cannot the CGF accept the same eligibility- if an athlete has lived permantly in a Country for 5 years, they are "de facto" citizens of that region for the purpose of competiton.

I feel such a pragmatic approach will remove the temporary nature of living in a Country for 2 years whilst at University, and will show a period of "citizenship" acceptable to the CGF.

Adoption of the above will therefore remove uncertainty for athletes who do not automatically qualify on birthright- most of who will have lived far longer than 5 years in the Country of their choice(most would have grown up in the country and attended school, and in the case of Wales speak the langauge of Welsh), and therefore should be allowed to compete for the Commonwelath nation they live in, as long as they have not competed for another country.

The last thing any of us want's us to see is lengthy legal battles about citizenship, which are both expensive and counter-productive. The CGF must surely 5 years spent living in a country as a "proof of Citizenship" which reflects the transitional nature of many families within GB.

I look forward to hearing from you. "

Also of interst the GB rules re Children and Citizenship.

I mention the word "Citizenship" constantly because this is the key issue for the Commonwealth- and where a country does not have a legal"citizenship" status.

28/01/2009 "On Track Athletics will soon be interviewing Sprinter Dwain Chambers for our website and we are looking for questions from you to ask him. Dwain is willing to answer any questions. Please can you e-mail your questions to info@ontrackathletics.co.uk"

27/01/2008 CGF Constitution can be found here. I would be interested in getting emails from Athletes or Coaches of Athletes who are affected by the residency rule changes. Nothing I can do, but it may be that at some stage a Campaign MAY be required to support athletes. The more numbers that are known about, then we can see the scale of the problem. OK it is a few years off , but anyone close-say within 2% of the standard and now not eligible should be aware and thinking about it.

25/01/2009 Looks like my comments about WDTA athletes not attending and combining age groups were badly thought through- obviously for some in the WTDA there were no Events held they could compete in. In other events-like different Hurdle Heights, weights of Implements, it is impossible. So sorry to all if I have caused offence to an athlete- not what I intended- and for the lack of thought in comments about combining Age group Champs- though it makes sense to me if the Age dependent disciplines could be run at the same Champs. Anyway to any athlete in the WDTA I apologise if I caused offense. By the way no-one has demanded I write this, or even asked. It is just becoming obvious my comments were misplaced..

24/01/2009 "On the same day that this review was published, news broke of a group of 65 athletes, cyclists, footballers and volleyball players mounting a challenge in the Belgian courts to the new Wada code, which stipulates that athletes from all sports must declare their whereabouts for a one-hour window each day, three months in advance, in order to allow anti-doping teams to turn up unannounced and subject them to random out-of-competition tests. The European Commission have received advice that the demand, to which track-and-field athletes have been obliged to adhere for several years now, could be deemed illegal."

Fom the Independent . If this is correct, then UK Sport are stuffed, they will be sued by some-one. Shambles- and UK Sport better get prepared. Do not they get legal advice ? Before they do thse things.

23/01/2009 Young Mica Moore(U17) won the Welsh SW 60m title from her older Welsh rival Zara George with a fine run and a new PB of 7.75-a good improvement. Hannah Thomas(U17) won the 200m, but way off her PB of 24.34. She must be a potential for the CG 2010 team if she develops from her PB of 2008. Bryony Turnbull (SW) won the 400m in a PB of 57.81. Lucy Lougher(Sen) won the 60mH with a PB of 8.99 breaking her 2007 PB of 9.00.

In the men Steve Davies was 3 secs outside his PB, winning the 1500m in 3.41.24, but has already the CG standard. Richardo Childs(sen) set a new PB with a run of 6.88in the 60m (2008 6.99)- with Liam Duff also a new PB of 6.89(6.98-2008). U17M Thomas Cusworth won the 200m in 22.88 , just outside his Indoor PB. Paul Walker, PV, won with 5.01- well off his PB of 5.40- that PB is enough for Welsh CG- one of those who has to prove his right to compete for Wales.

I missed all the other age group results-"Almost 150 Welsh athletes will battle on the track this weekend for the crown of National Champions. The country’s best will convene at the Welsh Senior Championships, scheduled to take place at the National Indoor Athletics Centre (NIAC) at UWIC on Saturday, January 24th 2009.The event will be held in conjunction with the Welsh Indoor Open Championships, which will ensure highly competitive fields in all disciplines. 250 Senior Men and Women will take part in the Open, together with almost 300 athletes competing in the Junior age groups, which will include events for Under 20’s, Under 17’s, Under 15’s and Under 13’s."

I assume this was just a badly written PR which actually meant that in a few weeks time 300 athletes will compete in the junior events- U20,U17 ,U15 and U13. My spelling is sometimes bad, bt I dus ths fr fre. Grammar is so important, sadly no longer seems so. Lets re-write it, just for a larf.

" The country’s best will convene at the Open Welsh Senior Championships, scheduled to take place at the National Indoor Athletics Centre (NIAC) at UWIC on Saturday, January 24th 2009. 250 Senior Men and Women will take part in the Open Championships,ensuring a highly competitive meet. On the 8th and 9th of February almost 300 athletes will compete in the Junior age groups, which will include events for Under 20’s, Under 17’s, Under 15’s and Under 13’s."

See that was easy- took my 30 seconds. Probably took 10 hours to write the official Welsh PR. God help us.

We could, just for a laugh, write the next PR:

" At the Welsh Senior Championships WDTA athletes-Hannah Thomas won the 200m, Dewi Griffith's was 3rd in the the 300m. Christina Hughes competed in the PV as did Rhianydd Llewellyn in the PV. Sian Swanson won the Women's HJ and Tesni Ward won gold in the women's SP. The WDTA is excited that it proves the development programme is on track leading up to 2012"

OK- I am being a cynic, and I have the highest regard for the athletes above, who are really exciting athletes. It's the people who run the programme I am concerned about.

Lets face it of 22 athletes but not many competed( of those had events that is- obviously no steeplechase, Hammer, Discus, Javelin) WTDA failed to compete as a group. If they are spending time and money on this (which they are and it is our money) then the athletes, surely should be competing in the National Championships. I am not aware that any are U15, if they are, then they should not be in the WDTA in my opinion anyway. Poor show by the WTDA who probably in terms of staff out numbered the athletes who competed. Just a little suggestion- any athlete on WDTA must compete at all Welsh Senior Championships. That would be rule one in my book. More to focus the minds of the Paid staff not the athletes.

23/01/09 I think the WAA Sen results are complete, though some heats from SM 1500m seem to be missing. Anyway its a wrap from me. WAA will no doubt have the full results up soon. I have added the CG standards for WAA where appropriate Three athletes achieved or were close- Rob Mitchell SM HJ 2.24(2.18), Sara Barry SW TJ 12.53(12.75) and Stephen Davies SM 1500m 3.41.24(3.40.00). Still 2 years to go. Others may have this standard from prior years, I am just looking at post 01/01/2009.

23/01/2009 New Commonwealth Games eligibility rules are facing their first big test- an Athlete born in England, of English parents, but has lived in in a Commonwealth Country since the age of 5, educated there and represented that country only. Has achieved the Commonwealth 2010 standard, and the appeal is in progress. I will let you know what happens, as this is of interest to all who are under the "cloud" of eligibility There will be no precedent set, but at least affected athletes will have a guide. Hopefully she/he will be agreeable to an interview after the process is concluded for this site.

23/10/2009 Scottish Athletics have a 6 year plan. I have just glanced through it.

23/01/2009 Shaunna Thompson"Shauna Thompson Sale Harriers Manchester 07.46" That,s fast- her 200m time was relatively slow in comparison, but won it comfortably. I always thought she would go up to 400m , but on that performance it will be interesting to see her over 100m next summer.

23/01/2009 "I am personally getting really fed up with these notions of elitism, sport is a game, and we should just compete on the International stage. Not playing because you will not win is bad manners and disrespectful to the opposition. Put up your best, and see what happens. No shame in that.Been there, competed and won, competed and been hammered(Rugby/Cricket). But we at least turned up and tried our best. Are we really developing a culture where we will not play any more ? Unless we can have a good chance of winning ?

That's not sport, that's about glory." Forum debate

23/01/2009 The UKA Doping review is not as interesting a read as I had hoped. It is a review, and to be honest the main thrust seems to be to make sure they never have a situation like they had with Dwain Chamber's again. Well and CO- so they are trying to tighten up, which is good, but I have to say the fact that de Vos accepts all the points is no surprise- he commissioned it and it says what he wanted. The report is may be more about who would not participate than those who did. The best bits are about education- but this needs to be followed up with random testing at U17 and U20 Champs. In the ten years I have been attending meetings, I have seen/heard of only 3 athletes been tested- one was a GB International who had broken a GB record Indoors, the other two were a random one event test at a Welsh Championships. I completely understand issues at testing relatively young people, it is not pleasant for any one, whatever their age, to have to go through the process. But the occasional U17/20 Test at Champs might be a big lesson- handled correctly and in a polite and sympathetic manner.

23/01/2009 Maybe I a bit harsh re below-listening to the actual interview, I think Christine was a bit more tongue in cheek , and realistic about the competition Looks like the BBC report slightly twisted it. Where the de Vos comment came from I cannot verify- maybe he was having larf, though as CEO UKA, he should be more careful. Victoria was 3rd in the UK School Games, but ran a good time in the low 39's, so obviously has talent, and looking at her average 100m and 200m times(at the top level) maybe will develop as a 400m runner. But she will need to get that 200m time well down and be able to maintain her speed, as her sister has done-its speed endurance over 400m. But 15 yr olds should not be put in this position by the media or UKA. Whoever their sister is.

23/01/09 "World and Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu looks set to have tough opposition at the 2012 Games, in the shape of 15-year-old sister Victoria.

UK Athletics chief Niels de Vos has predicted an Ohuruogu one-two in 2012 400m final. "

Has de Vos lost the plot ? What a ridiculous prediction, which assumes firstly that there is no-one else in the world who could want to win 400m gold, secondly that a 15 year, 2nd in the English Schools over 300m will make the transition to 400m, and will also meet the qualifying standard and then manage to beat the other top 6 World Class 400m runners. I am not aware of a 19 year old who has won the 400m Gold or Silver at the Olympics, but the new First family of Track and Field reckon they could do it "Victoria, 15, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "She's my sister but I won't take that into consideration. I want to win."But Christine insisted: "It doesn't matter who wins. Everything we can do to make the family proud is good."

I think young Victoria should take some reality pills and Christine focus on staying fit for the next 3 years.

Final say from Victoria "Victoria added: "It's even better because it's down the road from where we live. The family will be close and it will be really good if both of us are there." At least she did mention if we are both there.

Whatever they think as a family, they will have to qualify- even CO, and be selected and then win rounds etc. The one thing we know in this sport is that nothing is certain. But if de Vos is that confident of a Ohuruogu sisters Gold / Silver ,tell him to ring me, I will have a £10,000 bet against that happening. I will wait for the phone call.

21/01/2009 CG-The Welsh are being so dull about eligibility and extra, not all their fault. But the standards are wrong- Women's 400m of 53.00- it is not 8, its 14th. Get a grip. They made this mistake in Melbourne and was challenged by CGCW and an athlete was not taken. It really it is not that hard, The results for the last Games -Female 400m are here.The WAA standard is wrong.( forget heat etc, these are the results). So if you want to be boring about who is Welsh, lets see some consistency and get standards correct for 1st 8th-,it is not 9th or 10th- its 14th- no where near a final place.

21/01/2009 I really can't get into Bob Dylan-I try from time to time, but after 5 minutes I switch to Ian Drury. I should because he is anti-establishment, but I prefer the Essex boy.

I don't get CO either. World and Olympic Champion over 400m, so in her first Indoor appearance in N.I she decides to run 60m and 200m. What's the point, surely the crowds would like to see her run 400m, or maybe they don't have a 400m Indoor Track (sic). Well they do, coz its on the entry form, and 400 indoors is 2*200m. But CO would know that.

So what is the point, well I do not have a clue- but she is depriving the crowd of seeing her run 400m, which I suspect looking at the Ad is what they(the fans)expect her to do. Why will CO only run 400m at World and Olympics ? It is a mystery to me, ok maybe the Indoor tight bends do not suit her, but she is a strong runner and I would have thought a Olympic champion would have the confidence to have a go. I would have been disappointed if Linford Christie, the last GB Gold medallist to run in NI had run the 400m. Or maybe he did ? I think not.

21/01/2009 It's been a busy few days ever since the PR by WAA that raised the question of eligibility for CG- probably a mistake by them as I think they just meant to mention an appointment but anyway we have made some progress-thanks to Chris Jenkins of CGCW and Matt Newman of WAA.

This is not a Welsh issue, it affects all Commonwealth Nations ( and I am told it was enforced at YCG). Basically, to represent a Nation, (the rules changed post Melbourne) in a Commonwealth Games, an Athlete(of any sport) must have been born in the Nation they represent or have a parent born in that Nation-forget Grandparents or 1000 years of a family living there.

So affects N.I, Scotland , Wales and England. An English athlete who was not born in England, and who did not have one parent born in England, is not eligible for England. Same for the Scottish, Welsh and those in Northern Ireland. That is the ruling, no automatic residence period.

But, and this is the the important bit for athletes who try to claim residence, they can appeal. In essence you have to prove citizenship, which is a strange concept as we only have GB passports. So if you live in Wales, for example, but not born there and your parents did not, though might come from a long line of Welsh family or Scottish, or Northern Irish, if your grand parents made the mistake of giving birth outside, you are not totally stuffed- you can appeal.

This is the hard bit- you have to appeal through your Sports organisation- say WAA, then they will approach, in Wales case the Welsh Commonwealth Council. They will then decide whether they have a case to submit to the Commonwealth Games Council arguing that citizenship is proven to allow the athlete to compete.

It gets worse though, because the appeal process is lengthy and takes time. So they will not allow an appeal unless you have been selected or are very likely to be selected for the Commonwealth Games.

So what is the position of a young athlete ? Not eligible, competed for what they thought was their Nation and not eligible. On the fringe of the standards ?

Take one Welsh athlete, and I really admire him-David Guest- non Welsh Parents, born in England, competed for Wales many times. Under the rules he is not eligible for Wales, or for England because he has competed for Wales. What is he meant to do, compete for New Zealand !

It is a nonsense and we need to get this sorted. David Guest has been in Wales for as long as I can remember, like my daughter and many others. Just at the moment my daughter is only eligible to compete for Nigeria because her mother was born there-while her parents where seconded to Nigeria on business. Her siblings were born in Wales, but that is of no account. She can speak Welsh, educated here since Primary School.

Ha.ha I will hear the cynics say because I slagged of CO for threatening to run for Nigeria if BOC did not re-instate her. My daughter has not missed a drug test.

This needs to be resolved, and soon. The Regional Sports organisation's(all disciplines)need to sort this out. I would suggest that they only select Athletes for any National team (whatever age) if qualification for Wales/Scotland/England/N.I is proven under the CG rules. Lets sort this out once and for all. The sport should not encourage kids, and then turn around and say sorry, you cannot represent us at CG.

The sport is about encouraging kids, and for most in the regions the Commonwealth Games is a real focus.

20/01/2009 WAA Commonwealth Games Standards. I will start a new page on Commonwealth Games shortly.

20/10/2009 Cardiff- sorry Wales - did OK in Iceland- though strange selection policy- keyword Cardiff. What the point was I am unsure-an U15 G would have come 3rd or 4th in the 60m, but they(WAA) obviously have cash to spend. Another Welsh Athlete has never been beaten by the Male selected.

19/01/2009 Email received "have you ever taken the opportunity to scan the England Athletics web pages ,it is filled with mission statements ,service standards ,values all of which would do credit to a large supermarket chain .It strikes me as a ** never mind the quality feel the width** Limited Company .As for their long list of undistinguished Partners ,I must see if I am on the approved list of selected coaches or Key people to receive a pair of Sunwise Sunglasses .I would have much preferred if they had partnered up with Damart as Ive been outside for the whole winter freezing my bits off working with a bunch of committed athletes .However to the point .The only thing cheap about athletics ,would seem to be the cost of the frontline club coaches .This week a young hopefull is having to think about entering the Aviva England Athletics on the 14th/15th of next month at the NIA ......(I wonder if Nike or perhaps Coca Cola might want to change their Brand Name ) .We were looking at perhaps 3-4 events over the weekend ,then scanned down to find its £10 per event !!, with a 140 mile round on each day ,the costs soon escalate up .What planet are these people on ,are they not aware that a lot of people are finding things tight .Rest assured I will ensure out of my own pocket if need be ,that the young hopeful will be in attendance .However I wonder about other athletes and coaches who might not have the resources .Perhaps as you suggest some the funding for overseas warm weather training being diverted to the grass roots .......I wont hold my breath on this one"

18/01/2009 SEAA Indoor Champs results as spreadsheet. Hope all there as each age, gender and track and field were seperate sheets. I cannot make a PDF.

17/01/2009 Welsh Commonwealth Team 2010- an Open letter to Matt Newman, CEO WAA.

" Dear Matt,

Good news that Mike Delaney has been appointed an Athletics Team Manager CG 2010.

Some question's though:

1) What does "In order to qualify to compete for Wales, an athlete needs to be either Welsh-born or of Welsh parentage, with the possibility of eligibility through residence having been removed" I would be grateful if you could quantify this statement as it is ambiguous. Are you stating that an Athlete who has already represented Wales as a resident from a young age may not be eligible to represent Wales in the CG.? What does Welsh parentage mean?

2) "Welsh athletes hoping to qualify for the Games will have to attend the 2009 and 2010 Welsh Championships, and achieve the standard performances before August 2010.So if an Athlete is injured or unable to attend 2009/2010 Championships, will they not be considered ?

3)"The final decision on whether to select a particular athlete remains with the Commonwealth Games Council for Wales, which will make their choices considering also other factors, such as the number of competitors allowed in the event and the overall size of Team Wales 2010. " What does this mean, have you been not given a budget for Athletics ?

4)"Welsh Athletics has worked with the CGCW to identify as accurately as possible the performance required to be in the top 8; the standards are based on the finalists’ performances in each event at the last 6 Commonwealth Games, and are calculated analysing trends, average performances and external factors such as climate and the competing athletes’ field." It is not that hard to work out performances required- the data is on the Internet and you have numerous paid employees who should have this info at their finger tips. I can supply if you require it, free of charge. Not sure what climate has to play with it- it will be hottish and guessing the competition is waiting game, and I suggest means your team have no faith in WA performing beyond their PB'S.

May I suggest you just publish the standards required ASAP, which we have asked for consistently for both the Senior and Youth Games. I suggest also that you tell the Welsh Sports Council that you require a fixed budget for Athletics. This is fundamental to the development of the Sport within Wales- one of the few opportunities that Welsh athletes have to represent their country- which they will be proud of.

The Welsh Sport Council need to clarify both funding and the eligibility question. It cannot be left vague, it must be clarified.

I look forward to your reply.

Best wishes

Charles"

17/01/2009 "Followers are people who receive other peoples' Twitter updates. (Wait, isn't that everyone? Most of the time, yes.) When you post an update to your Twitter account, your followers will get it on their home page and/or phone." So just subscribe-it's free other than mobile charges if charged.

17/01/2009 Well the Twitter mobile update worked- now just check that they will come to yours- please check out and let me know- this is the most exciting thing since I came up with since the idea of an online database of rankings 12 years ago(sic). I 'll have to listen to "Dark Side of the Moon".

17/01/2009 Twitter away- well I hope so. This is just a trial, but if you subscribe to my Twitter feed you can see what I have to say in a short message-I will be using it mainly to cover meets where I can twitter the results. You can view these on your PC by clicking on my Twitter link or have them sent to your mobile- well that's the theory, I think. I am doing this because certain bodies will not allow me Internet Access(if they have it) and this is a simple and effective way around the problem of being blocked or where Internet access is unavailable .No doubt all will copy soon, but lets have a bit of fun, the first Twitter athletics site-to my knowledge.

15/01/2009 Email received re Welsh Media coverage " "My son feels somewhat disgruntled at not seeing his name anywhere but in the results on the WAA site or the South Wales Echo which contained not a word on the 800/3000 champs (not even the 2 development athletes). The lack of reporting has meant he gets little recognition even at his school where minor rugby achievements are celebrated with aplomb!"

14/01/2009 WAA media Person has replied- I quote some " Every athlete within Welsh Athletics is important and receives full support in our promotion to the media – as it is happening in these days with ALL the winners of the Welsh Championships, whose details and achievements have been sent to all the media outlets. However, it is extremely difficult to gather the necessary information to write a significant piece on each athlete, not least as there is no such thing as a knowledge base for the Welsh athletes, particularly young ones. This does not apply to WTDA athletes as, due to their closer involvement with Welsh Athletics, have been asked to submit a questionnaire providing us with much-needed biographical and historical information.

It is therefore my duty, as newly-appointed Media & Publicity Officer for Welsh Athletics, to extend this knowledge base, now limited to 20-odd individuals, to as many athletes as possible. In order to do this, I’m hoping to establish closer relations to clubs, which possess extensive knowledge on their own members; furthermore, I’m planning on developing new systems to gather information from the athletes on race day, such as brief interviews (in a form and shape that still has to be devised) or questionnaires. These new initiatives will help me create an information pool I’ll be able to draw from when writing press releases – but it is something that necessarily requires time and co-operation from other parties such as clubs, coaches and the athletes themselves."

So the WAA know nothing about Welsh Athletes other than the 20 or so who are in the WTDA. That, I am afraid , sums up the problem in WAA. They have no knowledge of Athletes in Wales?, yet they are the people who run the organisation. And select Athletes for the WTDA Most info on Athletes is on Athletics Data or Power of Ten(and on the WAA site)- but if they want to know their favourite band, well hey that's the way forward !. I could not care a monkey's I would just like to see a report recognising all athletes successes-fairly.

13/01/2009 Email received- a letter to WAA with permission to reproduce from the writer in full. WAA are aware I was copied on in this correspondence.

"William

It was disappointing to read the very limited website build up and report for Sundays events.

It was a encouraging improvement on recent years participants and Sunday was full of some very interesting races.

My disappointment arose from the web site build up which had one the the development athletes down to compete in an event which according to the online entry system he had not even entered and your organisations limiting of the focus of this report to athletes in the development squad.

This was compounded by the even more limited report for a day of competition where again you focused on two development squad athletes.

Whilst I fully support the principle of targeted support (if it has to be limited) to those athletes who have shown potential please do not limit your organisations praise or reporting to athletes from that select group. There were many competitors on Sunday who like the two identified paid their entry fees and competed to a very high standard (one of them broke a CBP) .

Some times support and praise like a mention on a website (which costs just the time and effort taken by the person at the keyboard) will do more for youngsters than a bureaucratic grant system.

Yours in sport


Neil Hardee
Newport."

William is William Ponissi, the WAA Media Officer.

I agree with the above. I have long argued WAA should have training sessions for Athletes in depth- not just the best few in a discipline, but take the top 20 from disciplines-sprinters, middle distance runners,Jumpers etc and have weekend sessions. That will develop the sport across the Nation. Not focussing on a few.

13/01/2009 New Media releases from WAA make it pretty clear where their interest lies- those in the Welsh Talent Development Academy . All mention of the site was these 2 Athletes who competed in the 800m and 300m Champs, no mention of the others who competed-and one set a Championship best Performance.

It is not the role of WAA to further the careers of a few- they are there to develop the Sport in Wales, a by-product of that is the talent academy- but that is not the sole purpose of WAA, and they should well remeber they are publicly funded. The fact they have now 3 or 4 Employees on the Development side, I thought meant they would be trying to increase particiaption. Sadly all one sees on the Welsh site is promotion of the Talent Academy Athletes, as if this is justifying the roles of the Development team.

They have truly missed the point of a National Organisation, which is to develop the Sport in the Nation of Wales . It saddens me to see this continual promotion of certain Young athletes with no mention of the others, who make these Championships happen and provide the competition. And as sure as the day turns to night, others will come through, some on the development pathway will fall away- and I ,and all of us, are well aware of athletes who leave the sport at a high youth level due to injury, pressure or lose interest. It is incumbent of WAA to develop and treat all athletes on the same basis- the Academy is not the mainstream of Welsh Athletics.

This has been going on for a while now, and is a shameful development by WAA.

13/01/2009 Sophie Pick was the only Welsh Female to compete at England AA Combined Events- where were the rest ? Two men competed, getting 1st and 3rd in U20- David Guest broke the UK CBP- well done to him.

11/01/2009 "UK Athletics has altered its holding camp plans for the AVIVA Great Britain & Northern Ireland Team ahead of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan on 28 March. Following in-depth research from UKA physiologists, it was deemed that the original plan to stage a holding camp in Cyprus in the lead-up to Jordan would be of minimal benefit.Two years ago, UKA utilised a holding camp in Durban, South Africa before going onto the IAAF World Cross in Mombasa, Kenya where temperatures hovered in the high 30s. In contrast, based on meteorological data from the last 10 years, the temperature in Jordan is likely to be around 17 degrees Celsius, much milder than originally assumed .Instead, UKA will organise a week-long camp for the team based in the UK, most likely at one of the UK Athletics High Performance Centres at Loughborough or St Mary’s University College, Twickenham."

So the Physiologists take sway "Physiology is the science concerned with the functioning of organisms. Physiology departments at tertiary institutions, generally focus on the functioning of the human body while the physiology of organisms such as plants, animals and microorganisms are studied in the departments of botany, zoology and microbiology respectively. "

Um, I read into this that UKA, quite sensibly are cutting back on the extravagances they have followed over the years, British athletes who train in the GB, that's good and who we are- we cannot move GB to walmer climes. Less bullshit and worrying about where to train-we are in Britain.

11/01/2009 Latestt results are the UWIC GP and SW England U15/17. If you go the WAA website, there are some results from Welsh 800m /1500m Champs.

09/01/2009 John 0' Groats Journal "Caithness Amateur Athletic Club held its annual track-and-field prize-giving and disco recently in the Thurso Club ..

08/01/2009 When I get irritated I listen to Punk music- when really annoyed, listen to Steve Hillage. So now listening to Steve, a great guitarist from the 1970's and 80's- its calming, have not seen Steve last spoke to him on a train to St Tropez in 1978, I was in peasant class, he was hipping out in first , but "Hurdy Gurdy Man ", well karma-man.

The source of my current annoyance, is the usual- a couple of athletes funded by UKA and then moving to the USA to train.

"Under LA's blue skies and unbroken sunshine, 400m hurdles Olympic bronze medallist Tasha Danvers and sprinter Tyrone Edgar have begun winter training.It is a marked contrast to the freezing, grey gloom of London where their careers began. "BBC.

Lucky them- ""I came to California to be around the coaches who have worked with great sprinters before," says Greenwich-born Edgar, who has lowered his personal best to 10.06 seconds under Smith's guidance."When I got here the coaches were talking about me going under 10 seconds and I've never had anyone telling me that before."I'm not saying we don't have great coaches in the UK - we do, but we don't have many."

That was Egar saying ""I'm not saying we don't have great coaches in the UK - we do, but we don't have many."

So who got you going, mate. Who got you into the sport ?

Danvers and Edgar, 26, retain strong ties with the sport's governing body, UK Athletics, keeping in touch via emails and phone calls before returning home for the outdoor season. UKA's former performance director Dave Collins, who selected Danvers for the Olympics even though she did not win the British trials, often flew to LA to check on her progress. "

Let them train where they like, but do not fund them. Funded by UKA then train in the UK , like everyone else. If you want to go off to sunnier climes, then fund yourselves. We all know that US colleges are offering huge scholarships to Elite UK athletes, so take them. But don't ask UKA to fund you as well

I find it hard to believe that UKA funded Collins to fly to Los Angeles to check on Danvers- no wonder they need so much funding. As the email below says, we really do have a two tier structure.

Simple solution- get rid of UKA. Replace it with Team GB, with its own funding and they can seek to fund who they like to develop a Team with complete transparency. A few athletes and coaches, a couple of million a year would suffice.

A new small organisation would be formed -UKA Track and Field events, to fund Competitions , seek sponsorship etc ,replacing the profit orientated Fast Track, and fund regional championships,all UK leagues as well as National and International fixtures held in the UK. Funded by the BBC anyway.

The huge amount of cash saved from this would go to the Regional bodies to enable them to support coaches and clubs.

What in effect could happen is we could centrally fund a level of sport that is truly Amateur, School sports,the clubs and the volunteer coaches . Remove all the baggage, how many Coaches at a regional level does a region need-one.

Or go Professional, pay athletes to compete, support them and their coaches- now that is called professional. So no government funding and get out there and find some funding . That's the choice, because the grass roots are getting fed up with the way this so called amateur sport is going- .

Most of us at the grass root level look on in amazement at an amateur sport that is so top heavy in administration- one Welsh Development Officer's salary would have funded the team for the YCG, and they seem to have 3 or 4 now, with no shame. I could not work in an organisation that is aimed at developing athletics, knowing I was actually taking the money away from the very people I was meant to be supporting.

Sadly, they have it seems all be suckered into really thinking they are developing an Athletics team for London 2012 . The major event. Never going to be in London 2012, there is no way Athletics will win more medals than other GB sports, if we get 5 medals that will be a result.

Are we now such an obsessed society that we will pour £25 million into winning 5 medals( and it will be not be much more than that). We are not- the only people obsessed are the paid coaches and administrators who want to hang onto their well paid jobs. That is the fact- the paid worry about their jobs, the athletes compete, which is what they want to do-aparently. Quite why they then get an honour for doing what we have paid them to train for is beyond me-I would give a OBE/MBE to an athlete who has won a medal and the spent 20 years developing other athletes-that shows commitment to society. Dame Kelly, hell the Army paid her for years to train- , it's a joke. I hate Bran Flakes, and Chris Hoy is not going to make me think otherwise.

So let's just wake up in Athletics. Or just become professional and seek funding from Sponsors. They know they can't get the sponsorship and the fact the government/tax payer BBC is the only one interested sums it up. How much do they pay the two J's-Jackson and Johnson per meet ? Paid a load of money to waffle on in between races. I think most people who watch athletics probably understand the sport.

So to finish with the beginning, watch athletics, put the headphones on and listen to Steve Hillage- it then will make sense. "Its real-the answer is there all the time"

I will now retire to bed and continue to read "Can we have our Balls back, please"

08/01/09 Email received "Interesting idea this athletics ashes ,we all know what the actual Cricket Ashes are ,perhaps the athletics equivalent would be the burnt remains of the amateur code .Athletics has been hijacked and turned into a money eating monster where the interests of the few far outweigh the needs of the many .The Americans have a great expression which could be applied to the present situation ...Professional Athletics Sucks ...sorry to be so crude .Today's cosseted state sponsored athletes are so far from their roots to barely recognise the clubs coaches and sport which nurtured them ."

Any thoughts ?

08/01/09 "On a similiar vein of what is going on "Welsh Athletics will be taking a team of 10 to 12 (Seniors & U20's) athletes to an Indoor International meeting in Iceland on Sunday 18th January. Selection will be made following the open meeting on Sunday 11th. " Apart from the fact I was not aware Iceland had a Track and Field team, silly me they must have bought one with borrowed money from Councils in GB, thought WAA had no money- must be the savings from not sending a team to YCG. Also the Open meeting(UWIC Open)is on the 10th, but who cares about detail. Its U15/17 on the 11th. But whats' a day in a lifetime. Or are the new U17 actually Seniors. Or is there another meeting ? It's so confusing.

04/01/09 Good idea this, ‘Athletics Ashes’ to boost Great North Run crowds" . Semms like the idea of Street Athletics is catching on even amongst the ex-middle distance runners. Linford and Darren should be thanked for their efforts in promoting street athletics.

04/01/09 United Kingdom news daily, Newham Recorder, reports on the Nigerian-born Olympic champion, stating “the athletic heroine is now celebrating being awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List”:

Not sure that an MBE is deserved for some-one who failed UK Sport testing shedule, but she has shown that GB women can win Gold Medals, and hopefully a lesson learnt by young athletes- don't miss drug tests-CO was very lucky to get back in to the Olympics for GB.Doubt any others will be so fortunate.

02/01/2008 Happy New Year and I hope everyone acheives what they want over the coming 12 months.

30/12/2008 "In 1895 the Vassar College Athletic Association ignored the constraints placed on women athletes of that era and held its first-ever women's field day, featuring competition in five track and field events. Soon colleges across the country were offering women the opportunity to compete, and in 1922 the United States selected 22 women to compete in the Women's World Games in Paris. Upon their return, female physical educators severely criticized their efforts, decrying 'the evils of competition.'Wilma Rudolph's triumphant Olympics in 1960 sparked renewed support for women's track and field in the United States. From 1922 to 1960, thousands of women competed, and won many gold medals, with little encouragement or recognition."

An interesting book for those interested in the development of female participation in Track and Field, American Women's Track and Field: A History, 1895 Through 1980.

I have even been to Vassar, but that's another story.

29/12/2008 I love the internet and some of the benefits it can bring to make life easy- On line banking being one. Getting news another. A millenium ago I suggested to Welsh Athletics they should set up an online entry for their successful Indoor meetings- open and closed. Finally they have done so- but- and sorry this a big BUT-enter. Now unless the world has changed since I last crossed the Severn Bridge , Wales is Wales, it is not South West England.

That's confusing, because if you click on the WAA Enter competition banner, what do you get - enter South West England Championships- even the news page talks about this. Now it would appear , if you perserve you can enter a Welsh championship- but why does it say South West England ? Needless to say I have not bothered to go any further, I might end up entering my daughter to compete in the Kurdistan National Champs, which would be ironic as WAA singularly failed to send a Team to the YCG, and Kurdistan is on the way to India- depending what route you take. Anyway "The conference, organized jointly by the Sports Council for Wales and the Ministry of Sports and Youth of the Kurdistan Regional Government, analysed the role of regions in building a legacy of sports participation and excellence, especially in the case of countries with post-conflict situations."

Now I know Wales has a recent history of burning down houses, owned by English within the principality, but thought we had moved on . If we have a post-conflict problem, that was centuries ago, and the historians amongst you may remeber that the House of Tudor came from Wales- not Kurdistan.

But its all good and if Kurdistan have a mountain sprint champs, or an camel chasing competition I will think of entering Emily.

Until the facts are a bit clearer I would use the old fashioned way of entering- fill in a form and post it. Camels are foul animals who fart, kick and belch all at the same time. Or are WAA going to have a few at the heralded PV comp in Jan- volt a Kurdish camel. Only one hump to clear.

27/12/2008 UK " We could not find any-one in the UK" A announce another appointment- Dr Craig Ranson, currently National Lead Physiotherapist for the England and Wales Cricket Board, has been appointed Chief Physiotherapist....The Australian , who has lived in the UK for ten years, has spent much of his career working in cricket"

That's 3 now, probably more in the Admin who are not British. I find this not even remotely amusing. Guess the salaries UKA and UK Sport are just so high that these guys and I am sure some gals , just wonder around seeking highly paid jobs in any Nation that will employ them. This is not National sport, this is clowning around. UKA should reflect on it's failure to develop UK talent- on the coaching side-I suspect that some just think it is so cool to find an overseas coach/physio/psycho and get them into them UKA.

Ha,ha ,I am just reading "Can we have all balls back please.How the British invented Sport" by Julian Norridge. Good read - how we invented sport.

Steve Perks who coached the GB Relay team to Gold got nothing:" I retired from Olympic coaching because I wanted to give someone else a chance. They'll need a good number of years to prepare properly.Ive only been head teacher at Brecon High School for a couple of months. Before that I was deputy at another school. I need to give more time to this job because it's my career and takes precedence now. I want to do it as well as I conceivably can. I've been coaching the Carmarthen Harriers for about 25 years. That's where I started and developed, but now I can concentrate on them again. I want to make sure the athletes fulfil their potential, whether they get to international or county level. That gives me as much pleasure as anything else because it shows that all the hard work has paid off."

UKA should reflect hard on why someone so talented has left ?A modest man who created a huge success for British Sport.

Fat Boy Slim Brown and the Earl Coe of Olympics, Fiefdom of East London. They must be so proud - destroying the development of coaching in the UK.

Whether Aussie or Canadian coaches make a difference, it's short term, and they will have no interest in the long term development of the sport within UK- I would guess they are in for a huge bonus if GB win a few medal's in 2012.

Foreigners should not be involved in British Sport.

Can we just have sport back, sport run by Brits, where Brits are involved-is that to much to ask? Since it is our money, I think not. We need to support and develop our coaches, not the mercenaries of the sport.

I care , I am British and proud of it.

24/12/08 UKA have now employed 2 foreigner's to run the sport. The government should just stop funding this-we have hundreds of coaches in the UK and we should get back to the basics of development within the UK. That should be not only developing talent , but using UK coaches to do this. It may have escaped the people who get paid to ad mister UK sport, but the only sport to have won a World Championships and get to the finals is rugby- England, run by British. England Football - a world joke now, uses overseas coaches , a pathetic failure for the National team.

No wonder Athletics is in a mess. We have good coaches, but seems UKA have decided to get Dutchman and a Australian involved. Bollocks to this, we are British and we have talented coaches, and these strangers are not required. I would rather see this huge funding going to British coaches and help them.

I cannot believe that UKA really need to employ a foreigner to develop coaching in the UK. There is a load of talent in this country and seems UKA cannot grasp this I, for one ,would rather see my money spent on UK coaches .As a Tax payer I would demand it.

Spend the cash on UK Coaching, and stop employing foreigners. Do they really care how well we do, doubt it, they get a huge salary. I would rather see a Brit get the cash. A huge bung for them if we get 5 medals in 2012.

I am annoyed by the way the sport is developing- we need to develop British coaching. Get that right and we will develop the talent in Sport. UKA, and UK Sport, seemed to have missed the point- develop coaches, not all the marzipan layer they have created.

I get emails on a regular basis about this, coaches missing out on awards because the authorities' miss out on who trains the athelete although that is part of their job, I would have thought.

I would like to see British athletes trained by British coaches. If these foreigners are so good, why do not their National Organisation's not want to keep them ?

23/12/08 Happy Christmas to you all- and well done to the Olympic athlete's who have doing so much for developing grass roots sport -Linford Christie and Darren Campbell for Street Athletics, Katharine Merry for EliteMentor (with Linford and Darren) and her work behind the scenes with the GB females and her Radio work .

Little publicity is given to Super Schools- Jamie Baulch and Dean Macey are involved.

UKA site-Tomlinson :-"Oh, and one other thing, I’ve discovered I can apply for an Italian passport. My wife is half-Italian and now I’m married I’m free to apply. Don’t worry, though, I’m not about to seize upon the chance to one day represent Italy in the same way that the British long jumper Fiona May once did. Remember, she was a Brit who married an Italian and became a world champion in 1999. I can say, categorically, that I am a British lad through and through and I just couldn’t see myself competing in the Azzurri blue of Italy."- why even mention it ?

Go off to Italy , it's obviously crossed your mind. And UKA stop his funding now.

22/12/2008 Report from first UWIC GP. Thanks to Pete Stafford.

22/12/208 Seb Coe as quoted "Although her winning time in Beijing was the fastest anyone had run during the year, her next best times found her in 19th and 70th places on the ranking list. The difference between the good and the great in athletics is underlined by those statistics. Ohuruogu has the most precious quality coveted by so many. She doesn’t win the warm up or the warm down. She wins when it matters. She is the consummate championship runner.She did pretty much the same to snatch the world title in Osaka a year earlier within 0.01sec of her Beijing time. She is only the eighth British woman to win a track and field Olympic gold, a trail set by Ann Packer in 1964 in Tokyo and a list that includes Mary Peters, Sally Gunnell and of course Kelly Holmes.She cites “hard work and God” as the factors behind her Olympic win and in beating the incredibly talented Sanya Richards, of the United States, over one lap in Beijing she could also cite a touch of luck".

Shame she does not deliver for the relay teams as well- never seems to quite pull it off then. And that was in the Olympics and Worlds.

18/12/2008 "On Stewart's last visit there, an American pal told him: "You pair are going to end up owning track and field. Stewart replied: "We already do - you just didn't know it . . . hopefully it will be for the better. See The Herald.

Stewart was director of major events in Britain for Fast Track, is leaving, to head endurance performance with UK Athletics, asked by Charles van Commenee. Stewart will be taking the meet director job with him when he moves in January.

What is this ? Have UKA fallen out of love with Fast Track ? That would be significant if true- the end of an era. But I get confused all the time UKA state "The English AAA Championships are set to be revived with a two-day competition expected to be held after next summer's World Championships.It will be the first national track and field championships held by England Athletics, formed three years ago. "

Sorry but is not this event everyone has competed in for the last few decade's- called the British Champs by most, or the AAA's. Hosted by England Athletics- obviously not.

If England want to have an exclusive Championships -good luck to them. I am not even sure what the PR means

1812/2008 It's larf a minute here "Sprinter Tyrone Edgar says Usain Bolt, who smashed the 100m and 200m world records on his way to Olympic gold, will not be untouchable in 2009." Well he might be beaten , but no way by a European athlete. Unless he is injured, and all the others in the world who run well-sub 10.00 take a rest.

16/12/2008 To those who think I have a personal thing about CO the results of the Sports Personality awards would seem to suggest I am not the only one in GB .

Chris Hoy 283,630 votes
Lewis Hamilton 163,864
Rebecca Adlington 145,924
Ben Ainslie 35,472
Joe Calzaghe 34,077
Andy Murray 19,415
Nicole Cooke 18,256
Christine Ohuruogu 7,677
Bradley Wiggins 5,633
Rebecca Romero 4,526

Athletics claims to be the blue ribbon event at the Olympics, but results above suggest something different. In London 2012 all the interest will be on Cycling, Rowing and Swimming, and athletics will fight back with Bolt going for the 400m record-in London. I doubt he will be up for it until then, it is a very different disipline and he will need to learn it.

12/12/2008 BBC Sporting Personality Awards this weekend. My vote will be going for Rebecca Adlington, an amazing performance for a young person. I am afraid I would not vote for Christine Ohuruogu- "The world champion is barred from the Olympic stage and, although she has not said that she would run for Nigeria, the country of her parents’ birth, she refused to rule out a change of allegiance if the BOA ban is not overturned."

Enough said.

11/12/2008 Williamson Training With Asafa Powell.

"Eric Shirley, Director of the UK Athletics North London High Performance Centre: “It was felt that if there was a time to try something new, then it was now, while there is still plenty of time before London 2012. If it doesn’t work, then there is still time to get back on track and if it does work, then great.”

Whats the guy saying, if it does not work- training with Gold medallists, then come back to the UK and ..what.

Good Luck to Williamson, grab the opportunity. Seems a shame we cannot provide the Training opportunities in the UK.

I hope UKA drugs will send out a random tester, and this is not in all honesty suggesting anything at all, but it is important that UK Sport maintain their testing protocols, where ever a UK athlete is training. After Dwain this is really important, in my opinion. UK sport must treat all athletes the same , whether training in the UK or abroad. The sport needs to be 100% sure.

11/12/2008 This has gone quiet for a while but "The Benicia school district violated federal law by failing to accommodate the interests and abilities of female athletes, a federal agency has concluded after a yearlong investigation."

It's a bit daft(the ruling), but maybe we need it over here- girls should not just watch the boy's play Rugby/Football/Cricket. Boy's should watch the girls play Rugby/Football/Cricket.

10/12/2008 A good British approach to the USA view would be to adopt sledging "Sledging is a term used in cricket to describe a controversial practice by some players who seek to gain an advantage by insulting or verbally distracting their opponents. The purpose is to try and break the opponent's concentration, thereby causing him to make mistakes. It can be effective because the batsman stands within hearing range of the bowler and certain fielders;"

Gloves off -spikes on, lets hear the runners say " watch my arse" when competing against an American.

Former English batsman William Gilbert Grace who was one of England's best batsmen of the 19th century, was notorious for his humourous quips. On one occasion having been clean bowled, he stated: "Twas the wind which took thy bail orf [sic], good sir." The umpire replied: "Indeed, doctor, and let us hope thy wind helps the good doctor on thy journey back to the pavilion."

On another occasion he was out leg before wicket but refused to leave, claiming: "They came to watch me bat, not you bowl". However perhaps the best instance of sledging involving Grace was by bowler Charles Kortright. Repeatedly frustrated in his attempts to dismiss Grace by the umpire who refused to give him out, Kotright finally knocked two of Grace's stumps out of the ground. As Grace reluctantly began to return to the pavillion, Kotright farewelled him with: "Surely you're not going, doctor? There's still one stump standing."

9/12/2008" After a disappointing Beijing Olympics, USA Track & Field is setting its sights high by aiming for 30 medals at the 2012 London Games."We now will announce to the world that we are going to take our 'A game' to London in 2012. Our goal: 30 clean medals," USATF CEO Doug Logan said at the group's annual meeting.

8/12/2008 There is no mistaking Llewellyn Herbert, not even from a distance...But the former 400m hurdles star,(SA) who quit athletics early this year, has been preparing quietly for a comeback next year.

5/12/08 Welsh Athletics, who did not feel it right to send a Team to the Youth Commonwealth Games- due to missing school and costs, have added another employee to their staff- a Media and Publicity Officer. Not sure what he is paid, but they state he is a Sports journalist, so must be on £25-30 p.a. Never heard of him, but thats not a problem. The issue is why an organisation that claims to have limited funds keeps employing people. I have lost count of the numbers employed by WAA, but seems that there are more involved now than elite athetes in Wales. Since they do not even know who coaches which athletes in the principality, claim they are skint, why continue to employ people for jobs that I would have thought could be done by the existing staff.

3/12/08 UWIC GP series

3/12/2008 It's all about how you spin it "Niels de Vos said: This is very good news for the sport and is a vote in confidence in UK Athletics. The potential of our sport is clear for everyone to see. As well as four medals in Beijing, we had 14 other 4th to 8th places.“Additionally, a substantial percentage of the team will be at their competitive peak at London 2012. Since then, we have made some critical alterations within performance which will enable us to continue our upward trajectory led by new Head Coach Charles van Commenee.“The sum announced represents the level of funding we need to deliver the UK Athletics World Class Performance Programme. UK Sport will review funding after two years to ensure the sport gains maximum impact from every investment and that the right medal opportunities are being prioritised.This is welcomed by myself, Charles and the UK Athletics Board as it gives us the opportunity to demonstrate that the sport is making significant moves forward towards our ambitions in 2012 and secure further funding.”

Fact- Athletics funding was reduced by £1.4m- or by 5%. Not a huge confidence boost for the sport. de Vos obviously is well used to the spin that bad news is good news. Any normal person would think that a reduction in funding by 5% was hardly a vote of confidence in the organisation.

"UK Sport said that athletics was expected to produce only six medals in London and gave warning that the dividends of the new coaching system may not yield results until 2016. “The true story, given that it takes six to eight years to nurture talent, will ultimately be in 2016” See the Times .

How long do we have to listen to the story that new coaching systems will take years to take effect. I hear this every couple of years, but the fundemental problem is not addressed- most coaches are unpaid -and many have issues with the regional governing bodies. Sort this out and maybe talent will develop.

It is all so predictable, Athletics as an organisation seems incapable of actually working out the way to develop talent. When they wake up and spend the funding correctly, we might see an improvement. Punting 23 million on 30 athletes is not the way forward.

I have doubts we will ever see a true reflection of talent available in this country. UKA create their own downfall, hype some up, well now just the 30, and piss off the rest- and that is what they do, with regular consistency.

I have no faith in UKA -and most of their regional bodies. The sport organisation needs a huge kick up the arse, they need to sit down and reflect on how to develop and keep athletes in the sport. We need numbers not just names. UKA seem to just like the names and looking at their website, and promoting events.

1/12/2008 Live Results fromSchools Pacific Games. That's for school kids, so obviously far to dull for UKA to bother with. They probably have a crowd watching as well. Like the Schools T&F in Jamaica. And UKA have not worked out the problem for T&F in UK.

Keep thinking, and one day some-will work out its about the youth and getting crowds in to watch events like the ESAA Champs, creating Youth events people want to come and see, combine them with GP- who cares, just get the public interested. Ideally have a European School Athletics meet where focus can be on the kids and get the crowds in- have a few celebrity races as well. The European Juniors are too old and select for the majority, we need a festival of School Athletics within Europe, where school kids from different countries can compete with each other. Televised.

29/11/2008 Read this F & C report and you wonder why the Commonwealth Games 2010 are to be held in India. Apart from recent , sad events, it seems there is more going than we are always made aware of. The English Cricket Team have left, and I am sure they have not done so lightly. If the Cricketer's do not think it safe, then should the Games be moved ?

I do not beleive in giving into the loons, but for a cricket team to be advised to leave, things must be bad, It's a sad word we live in.

28/11/2008 The Pacific Games starts this weekend. Should be interesting, especially to the potential Welsh Schools Team , invited, who could have been having the time of their lives there. Many would have been the kids who also missed out on the YCG in India. Cannot blame the WAA for blocking this,The PG, , but there is a common link(individual) in the view that kids should not miss school. Why get involved in sport and block kids competing, in what could have been 2 huge opportunities.

I guess it's just irrational behavior- get involved in Youth athletics and then block anything a bit to racy. Shame on them, and they know who they are. They will not respond, because they are totally convinced that the way to develop Youth Welsh athletes is to block everything- and I must make you know, these are not just the paid employees of WAA- well as far as I know.

A huge sadness as one member of WSAA had raised the money, made the contacts only to be let down by others on the board of WSAA. WSAA is just about finished financially as an independent body, this could have been a great trip, where I truly believe some WSAA would have medalled, and even if not ,what the hell they would have promoted Wales in that Pacific region. If results had been OK maybe some company would have stepped in and supported the WSAA.

It annoys me so much, to see money wasted in sport and one good idea blocked,externally funded, but others disagreed with the idea. As a sport we should be supporting these ideas, get our kids out there as ambassadors for sport and our country.

The youth get a bashing by the press-but most are quite nice, we were all young once upon a time, and the so called adults should remember this- they were young and eager once upon a time.

28/11/2008" Former Olympic champion Fani Halkia has been suspended from athletics for two years, according to Greece's national athletics federation (Segas)".

Is it not time Darren was given the Gold at Sydney- he was competing against a Greek who won the Gold medal- who is still under investigation. Darren deserves Gold. I am sure he will get it, eventually.

28/11/2008 "Track and field's world governing body has appealed (against)doping bans given to seven Russian athletes to the Court of Arbitration for Sport because the penalties were not severe enough."

Please enter the Cyber event for December now. Its easy, just email.

26/11/2008 New site co

vering Open meets in the UK -

good idea.

25/11/2008 WSEH Indoor meeting is 7/2/09 not 8/2/09.

24/11/2008 A Scottish blog view of the future for Scottish Athletics.

24/11/2008 "Athletics will, as is customary, be the largest group to represent The Bahamas at the 1st Caribbean Games scheduled for Trinidad and Tobago in July of next year. "

24/11/2008 "I won gold on drugs - Montgomery " Montgomery is currently in prison after being convicted of fraud and heroin trafficking. Hopefully the last we will hear of him, but I guess his team mates will be pretty pissed off when they have their relay medal stripped away from 2000. Why he has now decided to come "clean" now, is weird, just trying to reduce his sentence I guess. I suspect Maurice Greene et al will be less than thrilled.

I wonder how many others have cheated and got away with it ? We will probably never know, and maybe best we did not-for the sake of the sport.

22/11/2008 Christian Malcolm's hopes of winning a medal at the Beijing Olympics were hit by the British Olympic Association, his coach Linford Christie claims.Christie is angry that he was not allowed to help the Newport sprinter in his final preparations for the Games.The BOA said Christie was not eligible after a failed drugs test in 1999.Christie told the BBC's Sport Wales: "UK Athletics and the BOA didn't give Christian the chance to prepare for the Olympics as best as he possibly could."

The BOA have an issue with Linford, not sure why. I love the guy, he is a brilliant coach and an inspiration to many athletes. I trust him, my daughter trained with him, and most of us with half a brain know he did not cheat(using drugs) when was retired. What was the point to so do ? He had won a Gold and was retired.

Meet the guy before you slate him, and see what he has done for the kids.

These dosy organisations are the one's who should be challenged.

21/11/2008 Welsh Competiton review. Good to see some ideas we have floated for years coming through -OGM being one.

20/11/2008 The IOC have "The International Olympic Committee insists that its decision to keep women's ski jumping out of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver is based on technical merit, not discrimination."

Shame on them, its taken an age for Women to be allowed to compete in the Steeplechase. The IOC, a male dominated group should wake up(and grow up). There is no place for a sexist organisation in this world. Sport is about sport, and the sooner these clowns realise that roughly 50% of the population are women, then maybe they will wake up.

20/11/2008 2008 "Pacific School Games Track & Field incorporating the Australian All Schools Championships.The 2008 Pacific School Games (PSG) in Canberra will continue the tradition of offering Track & Field as one of the core PSG sports.In an exciting development the 2008 PSG and Athletics Australia have formally agreed that the Track & Field competition at the PSG in Canberra will incorporate the 2008 All Schools Championships. A special set of Track & Field gold, silver and bronze medals for place getters will be designed to recognise the fact that the two events have been combined.The Track & Field program will provide opportunities for competitors, including athletes with a disability, to compete in both individual and relay events."

Welsh Schools were invited to compete, but those who think they know better(kids would miss School), refused the invite. Just like the YCG. In this case funding was available I am assurred,by a third party. I hope those in WSAA who blocked chances for the kids sleep well. They know who they are. Well I do as well. Should I name and shame, well not just yet. We will see what develops with Athletics in Wales.

19/11/2008 As you know I support England Rugby, and Welsh athletics-so get confused. But I can honestly say that Martin Johnson is an example in plain speaking as a Manager and an example to all. Refreshing to hear facts, not sports waffle. If only we had more like him in sport, we might actually listen. And the athletes might.

18/11/2008 I find the new England Athletics site impossible to navigate, but On Track athletes have done the hard work, and found the entry forms for the Indoor Champs.

15/11/2008 Our Government are expressing concern about the economy, and have recently stated they are concerned about the possible loss of building skills in the UK due to the downturn in the economy. They are also concerned about under age drinking. So simple solution, invest some money into Sport- develop 30 -50 Indoor Sports centre's,where the kids can ride a bike, swim, run and throw. Proper facilities, world class.

Not a huge investment, probably cost £300m, nothing compared to bailing out a financial sector that has gambled and lost- and the only one's who benefited were the clowns who earnt millions in bonuses.

A huge building project, keep the construction Industry busy and maybe thousands of kids off the street.

14/11/2008 "TheU20 list of the 2008 track and field rankings makes good reading for Blackheath and Bromley Harriers with seven youngsters having competed at this summer's World Junior Championships"

13/11/2008 The Sport Minister made the gaff of saying had the Government known what was going to happen financially they may have not bid for the Olympics. This had rapidly changed into saying given the economic circumstances then even more reason to pursue the dream. Pump money into the economy. Expect to see the costs of London 2012 increase substantially as the gov try to stimulate the economy, and i suspect they (we) will end up paying for the athletics villages, the Stadium will be pre-sold to a Footie club and the athletics village will end up as another ghetto.

And these people spend millions thinking about the future, subcommittees and the rest. God help us. If I ran a business like they are running the UK I would be bust. As the euro/£ rate heads to parity, we will at least join the euro, much to the annoyance of the Bankers who love the spread of selling and buying euro's. As the hippies used to say, let's have another cup of tea !!

I am so pissed off to find that my mortgage, which is a tracker at 1.25% above base is going into as the banks so politely say "disadvantage" Millions like me, did not notice the little clause that said if base rates fall below 3% they can increase the tracker rate. So if interest rates go down below 3% these clowns could actually increase my mortage payments . So whereas I pay 4.25 % at the moment, when my bank remeber's that rates were cut, if they go below 3% I could be paying 5%.

If they want anarchy fine,because I will not accept that I have paid taxes to bail the buggers out due to their speculative greed and then suffer the cost-or not get the benefit of lower interest rates. Mr Brown should put his thinking cap on, but I and many have had enough of bailing the City circus out and then having to pay again. Was it only 12 months ago they made record profits?

Mr Brown needs to get a bit of fire in his spine, and sort this mess out- the banks must be larfing (delib spell error).

"Freedom for the People"

13/11/2008 Challenging does work:-

"Due to the recent change of date of the England Age Group Championships, the Welsh Junior Championships will now take place as detailed below;

Saturday 7th February - U17 & U20 (no endurance)

Sunday 8th February - U13 & U15 (no endurance)

All other championship dates remain the same.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the circumstances beyond the control of Welsh Athletics, the final decision to move and avoid the clash of championships was made by the Welsh Athletics Track & Field Committee with the best competition needs of all Welsh athletes in mind."

Congratulations to Matt Newman,COE WAA, who moved swiftly to resolve this clash.

12/11/2008 "UK Athletics (UKA) has parted company with one of its most senior coaches a year after he was reported to be having a relationship with an Olympic athlete. Alan Storey, the performance manager for endurance events, has left “by mutual agreement” to pursue other interests. No replacement has been named. " Times on line.

12/11/2008 Had an email from a disillusioned Welsh athlete who went to a training session in North Wales. James Thomas was apparently present for half an hour, Moody never turned up and Benke was in Sweden. I am told the athletes sat for hours watching powerpoint presentation and then did relay handover drills. Athletes and parents were discontent, some unaware who Thomas is and what he represents, and who apparently never bothered to introduce himself.

Reminds me of the only WAA session my daughter went to- it was not fun or her, and I can compare this to sessions she has has with Linford and Darren, hard training sessions but fun as well. These new guys, with their degrees have , it seems lost sight of the fact sport is about fun, enjoyment. They just seem to want Athletics to be about hard graft, forget the point of sport, to train, compete and enjoy. These kids are not paid, and even if athletes are it should be a mixture of hard work and enjoyment- and have seen Olympic medallists train hard and still have a bit of fun at the same time. Relax and enjoy should be the message, until they get close to a major championship, then focus and still enjoy. If you do not enjoy, then what's the point.

12/11/2008 It's all go to-night another email "Re the Welsh Indoor clash with AAA's on 14/15th Feb Essex and Kent have Indoors that day as well as Scotland Champs Indoor, amazing that all these clash with AAA's!!"

Looks like the AAA will have the funded elite and the unfunded will be competing elsewhere. Shambles, how hard can it be to organise a timetable. Who is actually running this sport - I will be watching Wales v. England I am afraid, and thank god my daughter will be skiing, so no fights on the sofa ( she's a good Welsh girl). I am so proud of her as a Welsh Vest, but hell I was born in England, and I will support Wales in every discipline-except rugby. Sorry guys and girls, but I have tried.

12/11/2008 Email" It is even better than that! That is the same weekend that Wales plays England in the 5 nations and every hotel room in Cardiff and the immediate vicinity costs the earth. Several parents(North Wales)have already booked rooms to try and beat the excessive costs and now find themselves faced with the extra expense of cancelling if they choose to take their offspring to the AAA. Maybe UKA are worried about Welsh domination and have done it deliberately!!! Seriously considering taking up tiddly winks as less stressful!!"

Conkrs and tiddly winks, what a champs that would be . I had an eighter in conkers aged 9.

12/11/2008 Feb 14th is going to be a busy weekend for the Welsh Under 15-20. WAA has decided that is their date for the U15-U20 Championships. England AAA have announced that the U15-U20 are also that weekend. So expect a frantic dash between Cardiff and Birmingham, or maybe a very quite weekend in Cardiff. Or some easy golds in Cardiff at the Welsh Champs as hopefully the best in Wales will attend the England AAA champs.These people are paid to develop sport in Wales. An impressive performance, or do they think a Welsh Championship is more important than the UKA champs(hosted by England AAA). As they say in a circus , bring on the clowns.

11/11/08 "It is with much regret we have to report the death of Eric Pennington a faithful member of Carmarthen Harriers for many years.Eric will be fondly remembered for his sterling work as the starter at all local indoor sportshall athletics, cross country and athletics in Carmarthen. For many years he started all the Gwent League cross country races.Carmarthen Harriers Athletics Club and all its members extend its deepest sympathy to Pat and the family"

Eric was a great man, contributed so much to youth athletes. One of the first starters my daughter Emily encountered when she started in the sport aged 9. A truly nice man.

11/11/08 "Nottinghamshire sprint hurdler Andy Turner says he is to appeal against a decision to stop his lottery funding." BBC report.

Turner has apparently written a strong letter appealing for funding to UKA. The merits of Turner will be debated, UKA have obviously decided not to fund him. Life is tough, sport funding is tough to get. There is only way forward and that is to prove them wrong, writing letters is not, I suspect going to help. I know many hurdlers, and one in particular, who had to work night shifts to fund his desire to represent GB- he had no help, but got his vest despite everything.

Now whether the system is right is another matter, and I admire Turner for fighting them. Sadly he will have some background support I am sure, but none of his fellow athletes will support him publicly-amongst the funded, and I doubt those close to funding will either.

So Turner will fight a lonely battle, and join athlete like Matt Ellias training hard but unfounded by UKA(plus many others). And I can see it is galling when the very talented but injury prone Tim Benjamin is still on the Podium funding- cannot remember when I last saw him run a series of good runs-but he has done well in the past-a very talented Welsh athlete.

This issue of funding is really crucial to the sport , but it perhaps a problem of popular appeal. Rugby, Cricket , Football clubs survive paying wages because they get paying spectators and income from TV coverage. No Athletics club could afford to pay athletes, if they were allowed, because they have no income of any consequence . So grass roots Clubs cannot afford to support athletes in any fashion. A dodgy Russian billionaire is not going to purchase,say Carmarthen Harriers or Sale Manchester(for example only) because they would not get a penny of return for their investment, other than a feel good factor. And Russian billionaires do not seem to be interested in funding ideals that make no money. Not sure the Arabs are that interested either.

So that's the problem, people love Track and Field at the Olympics, the great and good will sit in London 2012 watching the T&F events, sipping champagne in their lavish boxes, dodgy hedge fund managers who individually earn more in a week than UKA have for a year, applauding the sweat on the track and then swank back to their Mayfair offices to make a few more millions. Since most of them left their morals at birth, it would not occur to them to actually invest(give cash) to Track and Field athletes. What's the return in that ?

So if you are a billionaire, bored with Footie clubs and the excesses of the clowns who play the game, find rugby to vicious and cricket to slow-(or find england's lack of form to dull) fund athletics, the Kerry Packer of Track and Field is what we need.

It will of course not happen, because the youth is what need's the cash, and the signals from on top are that however hard you work, you could then be dropped at a moments notice. It's hardly a career option. So the kids will compete at parent's expense, but the more UKA bully ( which is what they are doing) then the less will be interested in pursuing the sport long term. Create a competitive environment where athletes are funded to compete, then you would have half a chance of keeping the kids involved. But the world has changed and being ruthless with funding may be required, but actually sums up the failure of UKA to develop the sport to enable more to be funded. A man or woman who has to work day and night is always going to struggled against the funded- de facto the small funded elite will win in the UK.

Shambles, and well done Andy Turner for challenging, but I guess your days are over. CVC may well develop a small talented group of GB athletes for 2012, but what will be the legacy for the sport. A football ground in the east of London and disillusioned kids.

Well worth £9 billion.

11/11/08 Schools website in Australia

08/11/08 For interest the annual report of Carmarthen Harriers-huge effort by Hedydd Davies, which he has produced for many years

07/11/2008 Email received "I came across your website last week and your views certainly hit a note. I have been thinking that for a long time so to read someone else thinking the same things is really reassuring.

Let's take the "application for talent id" - totally agree with you - if athletes or more specifically coaches have to apply for access to this scheme the job title for Wales should be Talent ID administrative assistant! You cannot talent ID people without seeing them live, watching them over a number of occasions and recording those observations. You have to take into account more than just results, how do they conduct themselves in training, what is their current programme of training, how long have they been working with their coach, how reliable are they to commit to training over the period of the funding support? etc. etc. My belief is that a Talent ID manager should be visiting clubs and making this assessment then making talent id judgements in association with lead event coaches.

Visiting clubs - has any club outside of Cardiff received visits - informal or formally from the talent id manager. I know that clubs I have trained at haven't had visits for at least six months and maybe more. Have any visits been made in North Wales, West Wales to clubs on club nights to track athletes on the talent id programme - surely that is one management strategy to manage talent development.

Finally on this one - Strength and conditioning - as part of the application process - already deemed to be the worst possible way of talent id by myself - the form states that strength and conditioning are essential parts of fulfilling an athletes true potential and whilst I accept and agree with that they are not essential parts of an application for talent id. If an athlete has no S&C programme but is achieving results surely this indicates a talented athlete capable of achieving much more when the whole athlete is trained- strength, flexibility, conditioning, coordination, balance, drill practice competence, commitment, recovery strategies etc.

I could go on. I also agree that by limiting athletes opportunities to represent Wales Welsh Athletics are saving money from athletes to pay for salaried staff but are eventually, if they haven't already, limiting the aspirations of the very athletes they should be trying to inspire - those who could in twelve months turn a middle to average performance into something more special. "

07/11/2008 Please note fixture list has been updated-the EAA are on 14/15 Feb 2009.

07/11/2008 Carmarthen Harriers got £12.500 from Norwich Union. A concerted effort led by Hedydd Davies and other members of the club. Show's what can be done.It was a huge effort, well done to all involved.

06/11/2008 It has been pointed out that the Indoor List was a shambles. I have now revised by date, I hope accurately. Please email any other dates in. I have dropped the Google docs listing.

6/11/2008 "“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recently announced that anyone who receives a doping sanction of six months or more between now and 2012 could miss out on London. That is a pretty powerful message and a situation we all want to avoid.”

At least one GB athlete should reflect on what could have been.

5/11/2008 The list of funded athletes has been produced- and that's the choice of the new UKA Coach- Charles van Commence.

My views below, and I am not really that bothered about Senior athletes. I am more concerned that Welsh Schools Athletics Association is going to the wall soon. CVC and all the high and mighty may think they know the sport, and maybe they do. But too let an Independent Schools Athletics Association (with a rich history) organisation go under for £100,000 investment is criminal. That's 0.43% of the funding UKA are receiving. Money spent on kids from the age of 11-provided the chance for kids like Jackson and Baulch from Wales. Welsh Athletics seem to care not a jot, they just focus in the one or two athletes who GB might love.

Anyway he(CVC) was always going to be tough, and he has been. With threats of further cuts, athlete's are under huge pressure to succeed- which I guess if funded by the tax payer is fair enough. Well fair enough, the A/B/C funded will get £575/- per annum between them. No figures on what the Development and Talent get, but will not be a lot.

How that squares with the £23m UKA is getting is a mystery- the Podium athletes get 2.5% p.a of that-.That's 10% over 4 years. Where the other 90% goes I am not sure - its very hard to get decent info, who is paid to do what. Where does the money go, and I assume they(UKA) get income from the well published splash events UKA now love to promote. Well some one is.

Honesty is what we need, let's see an honest disclosure of earnings from those involved in what is still mean to be an amateur sport. Athletes should have to disclose their additional income from being supported in this amateur sport. If they refuse, as is their right, then the state should not fund them. Since most of us are not stupid, we know the funding they get is not the whole story

What UKA should do is just produce a simple statement of accounts- a honest appraisal of where our money is going. I have no problem with them getting funded, but I am concerned about where the other 90% goes ?

Quite why Paula Radcliffe gets funded is beyond me, she does her own thing, and sadly has consistently failed when it counts for GB at the Olympics. Does she really think London 2012 is her time- well fine, she is rich enough to do this on her own. Selfish, like running in Beijing and depriving another athlete a chance to have an experience.

Perri Shakes Drayton- she should be funded as podium potential, but only Danvers.

But when School athletics in Wales comes to a grinding halt, UKA maybe will wake up and realise they have failed to make athletics a sport of not only choice but opportunity. Doubt it because they are in the circus of sport.

Well done to the clowns.

4/11/2008" On Track Athletics is a small organisation that provides a number of Sports Development services including coaching, event management, coach and athlete workshops to name a few. For over 3 years we have been providing athletics coaches to a number of organisations including School Sport Partnership’s, Local Authorities, Individual Schools, Special Schools and Clubs and is now looking to expand its catchment area and client base.

We are looking to recruit a number athletics coaches with a minimum of a UKA Level 2 coach license, who are able to work within both primary and secondary schools across Kent, the South East and London. All our current coaches work either before, after school or during school holidays providing athletics or multi-skill coaching sessions. Coaches can be covered through our own ‘On Track Athletics’ insurance policy. Payment for coaches varies depending on the location, type of coaching being offered and the budget of our client.

If you are interested in joining our database of coaches please contact On Track Athletics by e-mailing info@ontrackathletics.co.uk

04/11/2008 I am the only one who has noticed Radcliffe wins when money is involved !!"She added: "It does make it frustrating because you think, 'Why can I get it right all the time in New York and I can't get it right there?' But sometimes you have to take what life gives you."

Email received "You need only look at the core objectives of England Athletics to confirm what everyone knows. Sport England are pulling the strings. The laughable core objective "to improve the quality of experience of every participant" is a Sport England key performance indicator (KPI). Sport England have a habit of using subjective Key Performance Indicators.

Athletics has now spent its £20 million pounds legacy funding, and what have we got to show for it? The discredited Foster Review has effectively closed down the voluntary administrative structure headed by the AAA's. The sustainable funding promised in return has never materialised. Sport England, UK Sport, UK Athletics and England Athletics are unreliable partners, and need to be ignored.

Are the 15/20 England Athletics personnel who are to lose their jobs in the regions worthy of more sympathy than an athlete who has been dumped from lottery funding? It is the remaining personnel at England Athletics and UK Athletics, with no job security that we should be feeling for.

Lets not be bashful about saying I told you so. The Foster Review consultation meetings were crammed with people saying the new system was financially unsustainable.

Clubs voted at two EGM's in October and December 2005 to preserve the AAA of England. Despite this, chairman George Bunner disgracefully sent the staff to work for England Athletics. An unspoken objective behind these changes was the theft of the commercial value of the sport. The National Championships in Olympic year are worth millions of pounds. £6 million was paid by the BBC in 2004 for the TV rights. The England Athletics statement of 22nd October 2008 clings desperately to the stolen National Championships. "We believe that athletics competition, other than at national championship level can be best delivered by established competition providers" wrote John Graves and Mike Summers. When the North, the South and the Midlands are reunited as the AAA's with a democratic mandate from the clubs, they will be more than a match for UK Athletics and England Athletics.

Cy Knibb, Chairman of the England Athletics Voluntary Regional Council, is currently undertaking a consultation of some kind. This is the same Cy Knibb who wrote in the Athletics Weekly on the 5th July 2007 a critique of Charles Gains comment that England Athletics were doing the bidding of Sport England. Cy Knibb called Charles Gains, who had just resigned as a Regional Chairman, a "propagandist" and said he had been "economical with the truth".

It is possible to lay the same accusation at the door of Cy Knibb, but I would prefer to believe he is extremely naive.

Let me give advance notice of what Cy Knibb's consultation will conclude:

Tackling drop-off in the 16 to 18 age range will be a key priority, as will attracting and retaining volunteers. "Reducing bureaucracy" and "sport for sport's sake" will be the favoured slogans. England Athletics will not be about imposition, but about empowering the Clubs and Counties. England Athletics will move to a single pot funding system of commissioning Clubs and Counties to deliver key outcomes. By investing in the frontline coaches and volunteers, England Athletics will be better able to support the club system, and enable school athletes to migrate into the club environment which is where the talent is developed.

This predictable outcome of Cy Knibb's consultation has been lifted straight out of the Sport England Strategy Document for the period 2008 to 2011.

What Cy Knibb publishes might look like direct investment in Clubs and Counties, but in reality it will be the same trojan horse tactic that Sport England have employed since they first created UK Athletics. Sport England's priority is to use sport to promote the Government's social agenda. The new funding will pay professionals to work within the willing clubs, but these employed people will have the usual conflict of interests. They will embrace the enormous bureaucracy demanded by central regulation. They will call it "good practise" and "clubmark", the result will be lots of volunteers doing work that does not relate to sport.

Athletics cannot be run from the top down because volunteers might respect rules and regulations which govern competition, but outside of competition they work to their own rules. Its called imagination and initiative.

Hopefully by now, clubs and counties will have learned the lesson that their is no such thing as a free lunch. England Athletics and UK Athletics mothered by Sport England and UK Sport cannot be trusted.

In 2013 the remaining professionals will be sacked by an ungrateful employer who will never understand why most volunteers wanted nothing to do with these enthusiastic, well meaning and decent people. Making the world a better place is a by-product of athletics and that is a wonderful thing, however when making the world a better place becomes the core objective, then most athletics people would rather put some money in the tin, then go off and enjoy sport somewhere else"

From Zac ,British athletics

1/11/2008 "The federation that governs track and field in the United States plans to cut the size of its board of directors by more than half and make other structural changes.The moves are aimed at creating a more accountable and efficient organization....Earlier this year, the USOC threatened sanctions, including cutting off funding (some $2 million per year) and even decertification if the USATF did not move more quickly to reform what was widely seen as a bloated and unwieldy structure."

1/11/2008 Wales has an WTA development session next w/e on Saturday. On Sunday is a U17 Combined Event Championship. Great organisation.Why not send the athletes on a 5 mile run as well to prove their fitness to compete the next day.

31/10/2008 Welsh Clubs Indoor Relay Championships . A first, are they actually listening ?

31/10/2008 F1 is not a sport I follow closely, but as a Patriot I hope Lewis Hamilton wins. My secretary , who is Welshy to the core, does not want him to win- touch of the Welsh soreness about perceived English arrogance. Shame, and thats always been the problem in Wales, and they cannot (some) recognise that an Englishman could be a World Champion. (Colour I think is not the issue, it's English). Good luck to Hamilton, strange sport but we need to win sometimes for GB morale.

If he wins, which he should, then he will be Lewis Hamilton, OBE I am sure. Very strange that Rebecca Adlington has not been made a Dame- 2 Golds, the same as Kelly Holmes got. For some reason 2 swimming golds to do not equate to the same as 2 Track golds. The woman is carrying on and prepared to defend her titles in 2012."Adlington is Britain's first Olympic swimming champion since 1988, the first British swimmer to win two Olympic gold medals since 1908 and is Great Britain's most successful Olympic swimmer in 100 years."

30/0/2008 "OLYMPICS chief Jacques Rogge has said that London's main Olympic stadium does not need an athletics legacy after all. He revealed he was more concerned that the 2012 Games should not leave behind any “white elephants”.An athletics legacy was a key plank of the original bid and Mr Rogge's words appear to mark a shift in International Olympics Committee policy and open the door for a football club
moving to the Stratford venue. "

Sorry to say this is so predictable. A bid to secure London 2012 at any cost, and as we all know things are not so good economically at the moment- though most would have realised things were never going to be that good for ever. So london 2012 is joining "jolly" Blair's legacy of mishaps- Picketts Lock, the Millennium Dome and that great Eclipse party-apart from creating the feeding frenzy in the City.

After Manchester Commonwealth Games, the stadium was sold cheap(if it was actually sold). The architect of this I seem to remember was one Chief Executive, what's his name, De Vos. So we are bunging a load of cash yet again into another football ground, and the lies that the bid committee put forward have been exposed yet again.

It is so British, say one thing and then do the opposite. These guys think they are so cute, but I could have had a hell of a party for 9 billion. I might even of managed to fund sport for a few years, even conkers and tiddlywinks

British bulldogs, a great game, used to play regularly when I was a kid. Why is this not an Olympic sport- we might win it, because we would be the only ones who would know the rules-if there were any.(Australia might know as well, but they would cheat and the USA would turn up in body armour)

But of course H&S have stopped it " Although no national ban was agreed in the United Kingdom, many schools feel that health and safety laws and regulations leave them no choice but to ban the traditional game."

"The game is characterised by its high level of violence and physicality, leading it to be banned from many schools-" have to agree there, the girls were vicious. That's why girls like lacrosse, a game I would have loved to have played, but far too violent. They wear crash helmets now, but in the good old days girls just notched up marks on their stick as they took some-one out.

I had rather forgotten about British Bulldogs, just flashed into my mind. Randomly. Nothing like it when 2 of you were facing 60 and had to break through the line .

Happy days, banned by the goons. The one good thing about being old is one can reminisice about the halcyon days when it was either summer or snowed, one could play for a village cricket team aged 10 and face a burly coal miner trying to take your head off with a short one, sit next to Godfrey Evans ready to take his place at the crease if the lunch had been too good !! Get the commentator at Lords put out an announcement to locate your girlfriend by pretending she was your little sister aged 5.

Sport was just fun, lets make sure it continues so- and most do just want to enjoy. We forget that at our peril.

30/10/2008 Email in "I could not agree more. Let’s have some published job descriptions and some public accountability so we can all see what is going on. Transparency and clarity do not seem popular virtues in the management of our sport at the moment. Where-as I can’t speak about the WAA, I would certainly agree that your comments are spot on for UKA and EA. Tons of money spent on fancy new websites which when you start searching them tell you absolutely nothing about what is really going on! Claims that “widespread consultations” have gone on when the views of those at grass roots are subverted and held in total disdain.

Keep rocking and best wishes"

Thanks, I love the keep rocking, will do, just got the best of Thin Lizzy. I know I am really to old for this R&R business, but wait until you guys and gals are old, you will still think you are 20-believe me.

Anway the above is correct- glossy sites, that do little and say nothing. Now do you think we could get an interview with one of the big boys in sport administration- who knows, I will try.

29/10/2008 Not sure what is going on in Welsh Athletics. They, I thought had employed Benke Blomvist as Senior Performance Coach with regard to Sprints and Hurdles. Then WAA have announced a series of Sprint/Hurdling sessions under the the SDC banner, though only in the C for Cardiff. But Benke is not involved. Ivor Adam's is doing the hurdles and Dave Lease has been asked back in (a former UWIC based director) for the sprints.This makes little sense, though maybe we are unaware of who actually funds Benke. Benke as a good record in training sprint athletes-especially over the hurdles, so why is he not, as part of his job, holding these sessions ?

These mysteries are part of the problem in athletics- no-one seems to know who is doing what and who is funding them- well it's the tax payer obviously, but whether UKA or WAA or the Welsh Sports Council is not clear.

A Publicly owned company would not be allowed these vagaries, and as a tax payer I demand that we know. It is our cash after all. It is not that hard to write a statement of who is paid what and their role within the sport. Confusion will always lead to suspicion.

A new book out "Can we have our balls back" by Julian Norridge seems like a good read- reviewed in the Sunday Times this weekend. The basic synopsis is that Britain invented many of the rules of most sport-including baseball. The conclusion seems to be that the British spent so much time developing the rules of sports, and then exported them worldwide that we (the Brits) lost the point of sport-"developed as for fun and personal development" that we became good losers, in the British way. Arguably that meant that with so any sports being developed, we have spread what talent we have over many disciplines, and so cannot excel at a single one. Unlike say NZ where Rugby Union is the life of the country.

Is that bad thing- I am not sure it is. Would NZ have recognised the talent of say Steve Redgrave, or would he have been at best a Club Line Out jumper for a minor NZ rugby club. If we did not have the privilege of living in a long developed multi-racial society would we have had a relay team who would have won a Gold medal at the Olympics ? Doubt it.

The National teams who are actually failing worldwide, in my opinion, are the 2 sports who really allow overseas players- Cricket and Football. Football in this country is a joke ( but I never really understood the game) - we would have done better when the sport started and passing the ball forward was illegal apparently. Cricket just seems to find an excuse for any half baked so called Englishman to play for the team. No wonder the born Brits get peed off.

British sport should be from those born in Britain, and if it means we have to be good losers, fine. Teach them all to smile, shake hands and win or lose with grace. More important life lesson's that GB teams trying to find anyone who has talent to compete for them to win a medal. Maybe then we will truly develop a National identity (remember the 400m runner from USA who scrapped in because his ...ex whatever, who cares).

British teams filled with British based athletes in all sports, if you want to play for an overseas club, fine, but you lose your right to represent a GB team. Rugby players, athletes even the sacred Beckham. If you want to compete for GB teams(as well as the regional teams) then compete on home soil and compete directly with your peers-regularly. And whilst athletics is slightly different, lets not select anyone who is based and competes predominately overseas .

Will not happen, because just at the moment I should think the very Lord Coe and his mates are pants down. The 2012 bid no looks like a very expensive punt. The UK economy is going in to a new phase of economic development. GDP will remain low, interest rates will probably move into zero for deposits(as per Japan in the 1990's) with interest rates being low. The Stock markets, once the punters(gamblers) are all bust will move slowly and the housing market will be static as well. So no one is being going to rush forward to develop the site. The one thing the 2012 bid guys could do is cut out the excesses, and that means all the high and mighty staying in B&B's, not the Dorchester. That would help.

Low interest rates , once the housing collapse has ended will enable first time buyers to purchase-and be able to spend money. So the retail sector will survive, and the collapse of the exchange rate will mean more manufacturing will return to the UK as the Government copes with higher levels of employment by stimulating manufacturing in the UK by offering grants-small in comparison on the scale of the money bunged into the City wankers.

Keynes argued "that the cause of unemployment is a too high rate of savings, or insufficient investment expenditure". So the Bank of England Monetary body, who set Interest rates have done us no service. Interest rates have been too high for at least 12 months, and have encouraged savings at the expense of economic growth-which is fueled by investment. The investment side of the economy has been-maybe-criminally-let down by the rouges in the Banking sector who have lent recklessly- and should be taken to account-removed at least from ever running a Company again, and fined seriously-a lesson for others to see- public executions being currently banned. Sadly other forms of humiliation, the stocks are also not allowed, though I have a load of late season tomatoes I could use.

I am pissed off, 20 years of economic growth, and the Country is now nearly bankrupt. I can remember the last time UK nearly had to call in the IMF. And Goerdie wants me to pay him my tax so he can piss it up against the wall of New Labour.

Remember Gordon? The song I mean- some-one has posted a scurrilous Video on You tube. I cannot condone this sort of thing, it should be banned. Have a look and agree with me. So unfair. Email New Labour and complain about it. Not sadly an email address I have on my database( lost that ages ago).(sic)

26/10/2008 2008 Norwich Union Community Sports Fund

The presentation ceremony for the 2008 Awards was held on Saturday evening 25 October at the Royal Lancaster Gate Hotel, Hyde Park London. This year the twelve regional finalists were;

North East England North Shields Hockey Club
North West England Lymm Rugby Club
Yorkshire & Humberside Special Olympics City of York
East Midlands Coalville RFC
West Midlands Wyrley Juniors FC
East of England Sport for all (Sunnymede Junior School)
London Aspire Powerchair Sports Club
South West England Frampton Cotterell RFC
South East England Southampton City Council Youth Fitness Initiative
Scotland The Spartans Community Football Academy Edinburgh
Northern Ireland Tigers Basketball (Anderstown)
Wales Carmarthen Harriers

The winner of the £50,000 Gold Award was Special Olympics City of York with Carmarthen Harriers winning the Welsh regional silver award of £12,500 which will be spent on Carmarthenshire and Dyfed primary schools athletics cross country and indoor sportshall athletics championships.

26/10/2008 "Demps will run track at Florida, but even with his 10.01, he has yet to regularly produce world-class speed, an attribute television commentators frequently and misleadingly give to fast football players. Demps did not reach the final of the Olympic trials."

Thats the problem our guys face to be World Class. Only Harry AA shows some sort of hope at the moment to get below 10.00- and that is still a way off World Times now.

26/010/2008 My expensive education was obviously a waste of time-what does this mean "we'd be cut a lot of slack " . I have goggled the expression, but find no sense in the term. What did Ed Warner mean "I've been hugely impressed by Charles in my meetings with him leading up to his appointment. More striking, though, was a conversation with a leading athletics journalist who said that however well or badly we did in 2012, we'd be cut a lot of slack as it was universally recognised that we'd hired the best man for the job." OK i do not understand many teenage expressions, but Warner is not a teenager.So the only def I can find is this "cut someone some slack (American & Australian, informal) to allow someone to do something that is not usually allowed, or to treat someone less severely than is usual."

So I can only assume that they mean if GB Athletics do not achieve in 2012 it does not matter because the bosses at least tried by hiring the best man for the job. So it's not their fault.

Personally I care little how GB do in London 2012-I would like them do well as a National supporter, but it's not the argument we are having with "athletics". 2012 is a blot on the landscape, a day, a period of 2 weeks where athletes will achieve or not- and that's is dependent on loads of factors, some of which are out of control of anyone- injuries, chance ,random events etc.

The focus of the sport must be on development of depth in talent- both athletes and coaches. The future is probably a more realistic goal , if the sport really wants to get it to-gether. The sport, will survive 2012- and I personally believe that the focus on London 2012 is a huge distraction from what are the real problems facing the sport.

UKA and the regional bodies need to focus on Coaching. I am sure many of you will know athletes who enjoy the training more than the routine(and boredom) of weekly competition. Develop the coaching side of the sport, make it challenging and get the kids to enjoy it for that- training and developing their skills. Athletics needs to really look at the unrelenting schedule put on the kids week after week, and the pressure they are put on by the clubs.

It is not a Team sport, where you go on a bus, play as a team for 90 minutes and then its over. It's a long day where you might compete for a couple of minutes. That's the nature of the sport as the system works at the moment. But little wonder kids get bored with it- as we all know if you are a sprinter you might run at 12.00, just after the bus arrives, then again 5 hours later in the relay. As a jumper/thrower you will compete for maybe a an hour, then hang around until the bus leaves.

This problem needs addressing fast- and I would be looking , as I have said some many times at changing the League structure, if indeed we really need a league system. Event specific competitions would make sense, but obviously puts pressure on the volunteer officials.

Some-one really needs to look at this- before the sport dies. Kids will not continue to travel hours for meetings week after week. For example when you have WAA not sending a Team to YCG because they might miss some schooling, how do they reconcile that with kids spending 10 hours away on a Sunday to compete for a few minutes.They do have School work to do during term time?

Maybe there are to many low grade completions on a weekly basis, where clubs with large members dominate the scoring anyway.

25/10/2008 Email received re North Wales Gold scheme " The Gold card is a scheme available to elite sports people in north wales who have gained top 3 places at their welsh national championships. It allows them to use facilities in north wales for free or discounted rates such as the indoor track, swimming pools etc basically the facilities you would need to excel in your sport"

24/10/2008 Email received "As a competing athletes since the age of 11 and as a coach since the age of 16 as well as being a former county athletics development officer, I feel that the proposals announced by England Athletics this week is a massive step backwards for the sport of athletics in England. In August 2007 when former chief executive Alan Harrison resigned the start of the statement read:

“The set up phase for England Athletics as a regionally focused, de-centralised business is complete and the growth trend of last year for coaches, officials and clubs gaining clubmark accreditation is continuing well. Systems are in place using Power of 10 data to drive a national and regional focus on athlete and coach performance and affiliation of clubs and competing athletes is growing at a pace. The business is in good shape financially and has established a sound foundation for future development”.

Yet 14 months on the structure of the sport is again changing back to a centralised, no democratic system that’s seems to have had no formal consultation with clubs, coaches, officials, regions or counties on the proposals made. In fact till the announcement on Tuesday nobody had a clue this was going to unfold. England Athletics staff where e-mailed on Monday afternoon asking them to attend a meeting on Tuesday in Coventry where an announcement was to be made and would impact all staff. Very short notice for all staff especially those based in the South West or North of England.

A quote from the England Athletics announcement reads:

“We believe that the future of the sport lies in the hands of volunteers and this restructure will enable us to support them with a more consistent, higher level of service”.

From experience the development of athletics at a local level can not be left to the volunteers in clubs and will require support of local/county development officers that can work with a handful of clubs to develop coaches, officials, volunteers and athletes. But proposal outlined the creation of 19 field based officers spread across England. So we would have an officer covering perhaps 3/4 counties each which is not effective use of use of man power as the travel and time covering this area would be large. The creation of 3 regions South, Midland/South West and the North is again moving the sport further away from Grassroots level. The current 9 regions have worked hard to establish good working relationships with athletes, clubs, schools, coaches, officials and volunteers at grassroots level. This could include support with gaining Clubmark accreditation and club development, the support of coaches and officials through bursaries for education and conferences to support learning. The creation of county and regional squads for athletes and coaches to receive support through the winter months, some quotes form a recent county squad from athletes that attended are outlined below:

'I really enjoyed day yesterday, especially the track session. Makes all the difference running with good athletes rather than plodding around on your own, as it certainly makes you put more effort in. It was also useful having a discussion with other athletes as to their training , and very motivating to hopefully improve. I am looking forward to the next day already'. Road Runner

"I felt the session today has made me think alot more on how to prepare for races, and I have learnt different drills for sprinting to help me. I now feel more positive in how to prepare for races" Sprinter

Surely these comments are echoed across England and should be applauded but without our current local and regional development officer this squad would have to be organised and run by volunteers who already have day jobs and spend 2,3,4,5 nights a week coaching.

The London Region for example have created a massive Secondary School Sportshall League with over 300 schools taking part in inter-school competition, without a dedicated and hard working regional officer driving this league with the support of Sportshall Athletics this would not have happened or grown as it has, but by the looks of the announcement all the current good work going on in the 9 regions count for nothing and the years or hard work and building of trust between regions and the sport is just going to be thrown out the window.

My final point! In my current role outside of the NGB I was talking to a colleague of mine about the England Athletics proposals and he stated:

“Well that is typical of athletics.”

This sums up the view of athletics from the outside the sport and if we don’t get this right it could take us years to recover. England Athletics please reconsider your actions before it is too late and you turn into UK Athletics. "

23/10/2008 Indoor Tracks. Interesting, not really looked or considered this before. I naively thought you just turned up and used them. How wrong could I be. Swansea charge £3.10 for an adult, £2.10 for a junior or £1.10 for a student. Lee Valley charge £4.00 per adult, £2.00 per junior, with options to buy a 6 month pass at £160/80. If you want to use the track and the gym £240/120. NIAC in Cardiff charge £3.50 or £2.90 for an concession. Or £57 p.a and then £1.00 per visit. Students joining the Athletics Union at a cost of £121.00 with total access. Deeside charge £3.00 for an adult, £2.50 for a junior or £1.00 for an athletes on the Deeside Gold elite.

These facilities were built with public money, but are owned by in the case of Deeside, NIAC and Swansea by the Universities concerned. Whether they have loans to be repaid to the authorities in unclear. Not sure who owns Lee Valley.

It may seem little, but take an athlete who uses NIAC 3 times a week- thats £452 p.a or if you paid £57 pa plus £1.00 is £213. A saving. Lee Valley will cost £240.0 per annum for a junior for full use Track and Gym- better value. But for a Senior £480.00 per annum.

In the scale of UKA athletics investment in the sport, could these facilities not be available free of charge-at least to athletes who have got Grade 1/2. Athletes just seem to have to pay all the time, with no prize money to get anything back. Its one way traffic- just keep paying, to train, to compete. It's a hell of a sport, coaches unpaid, athletes pay to train and so we go- unless in the chosen, and no-one really understand how the chosen are decided upon.

Maybe's Norwich Union, or whatever they are called know, should sponsor free access to Indoor facilities- only the truly commited would take advantage of this, so hardly an expensive exercise. How many would drive a 160 mile round trip to train, and than pay £3.50 to end a session in an Indoor facility ? Yes , madness but I know one lady who is doing this 2/3 times a week.

Many do this, and many are bright- they combine Sport with academic success quite well. UKA need to really focus on this, many GB athletes have gone to Uni and then developed. Maybe UKA needs to look athletes the way Universities look at people- well rounded.

The changes that are happening at the moment post Collins, seem to reflect this understanding. Provide coaches for the athletes rather than the "performance model".

Modest as I am, I discussed this with Mr Radcliffe when I went for an interview to be CEO England ( a job I as never going to get, but got to the heats). My main point I made to him was that the new CEO ( a few years ago) was that the story(the new framework) was having to be sold to the regions and the CEO England Athletics would have to travel the regions and get club coaches involved. His minutes of our meeting should confirm this if you doubt it.

Looks like I was right, sorry Mr Radcliffe , poor call by you.

Three years money wasted on dreams created by graduates from University who have a sports degree. OK maybe they have to have to have a job, but they should the start at the bottom of the ladder.Learn about reality and stop being so arrogant.

CVC has a big chance to make a major change - Coaches throughout GB are excited about the changes going on, lets hope it filters through to the regions. For the long term futureof the sport:

I end to-night with the lyrics from Status Quo:

It sounds so nice, what you're proposin'
Just once or twice, and not disclosin'
And not disclosin' how we're really really feelin'

What you're proposin' the other night
As I was leavin', I looks left and right
And not believin'
And not believin' that I'd finally be leavin'

What you're proposin', now get it right
If I'm composin', but then I might
Be runny nosin'
I might be runny runny runny runny nosin'
But you're supposin'

Don't be so sure, and just supposin'
We yell for more, and compromisin'
And compromisin' leads to really really feelin'

And just supposin', don't get me wrong
I'm only dreamin', it can't be long
I must be dreamin'
I must be dreamin', dreamin', only only dreamin'
Am I just supposin'

It sounds so nice, what you're proposin'
Just once or twice, and not disclosin'
And not disclosin' how we're really really feelin'

What you're proposin' the other night
As I was leavin', I looks left and right
And not believin'
And not believin' that I'd finally be leavin'
What you're proposin'
And not believin' that I'd finally be leavin'
What you're proposin'
What you're proposin'
What you're proposin'

22/10/2009 News from England AA "As a result of these staff changes we will close 10 regional office facilities. The new Club and Coach Support Officers and Team Leaders will be field based or based at hot-desk facilities provided by clubs or high performance centres. The proposed changes will create savings of around £500,000 that we will redistribute directly to Athletics Networks and coach development."Click link for more.

Iin the space of a few weeks we have performance management rejected and England recognising that more has to be done at local level. What will Wales and Scotland ging to do now?

21/10/2009 Indoor Dates 2008/09 updated-edit on line here if you have dates to add

18/10/2008 Email from some-one just back from YCG " You would swear that it was the real thing and you did have to pinch yourself that it was the Youth Games. There must have been 15-20,000 in the athletics stadium in the last night of athletics. Sorry to say that Wales were conspicuous by their absence. A very major own goal.(Welsh) young people would have had the experience of a lifetime. What nonsense about disruption of education, if that was the official reason."

Wales 0 ,Scotland 1, NI 3, England 13- thats medals. Well done to N.I, limited numbers but did very well.

The Welsh Swimming Team won 12 medals and the Welsh Boxing Team 4 medals. Now thats a question, which I hope some-one will ask at the WAA agm next week. How come other sports in Wales managed to send teams, despite the fact it was held during school times, and the sport has no money. Well obviously the SCW(Sports Council Wales) did have some cash, so why did WAA fail to get any funding for a team ? Strange as SCW used their influence to change leadership of WAA recently, with one of their "men" now in charge.

Maybe the SCW have a total lack of confidence in WAA as well as the rest of us. What is the point in a National Organisation that cannot either afford or want to develop Youth athletics. They are not badly paid, so are we(as tax payers) just funding jobs for people in an organisation , that then has no money to do what it is set up for.

Simple solution, cut out the admisnistration, which WAA has in abundance, appoint a Head Coach and use the financal savings froma couple of jobs to fund Athletics. One salary reduced would have funded a team to YCG-easily. Wales really does not need at UKAapointee- we would rather have the cash for the youth. I gather the UKA contract ends in April, so can we have the cash instead please. Then maybe WAA could afford a Team to the Senir CG and the YCG at IOM .

19/10/2009 YCG results from Athletes from Britain- apolgies if I have missed any one who made a final or misspelt names. In no particular order:

Men HJ Eng 1, Peter Smith, Men TJ Eng 2 Ben Williams, PV Women Eng 1 Jade Ive, Eng 3 Abigail Haywood, Men SP Eng 1 Cyrtis Griffith Parker, Women JT Scot 4 Lisa Glover, Eng 5 Kelly Padgin, Women 100m Eng1 Shaunna Thompson, Men 100m Eng 4 Henry Tobias, Men PV Eng 4 Andrew Sutcliffe, Sco 5 Calum Sharp,Eng 6 Nicholas Cruchley, Men TJ 5 Martin Smith, Men 800m Eng 5 Niall Brooks. Women 800m Eng 2 Rebecca Stringer, Sco 3 Lynsey Sharp, NI 5 Ciara Mogema, WM 3000m Sco 6 Elixabeth Polter, Eng 7 Kadies Knowles, Women DT Eng 3 Shaunnagh, Men 200m Eng 7 Antonio Infantino, Women 200m Eng 1Shaunna Thompson, NI 6 Hannah Lewis, Women LJ Eng 1 Abigail Irozuro, NI 2 Hannah Lewis , Women HT Eng 1Sophie Hitchen, Sco 4 Neyric Perkins,Sco 5 Cailtlin Mackie, Men 1500m Eng 6 Simon Horsfield, Womens 1500m Sco 5 Elizabeth Potter, Sco 9 Elish McCoglan, Men 5000m Eng 7 James Wilkinson

19/10/2009 "Buoyed by winning South Africa’s only medal at the Beijing Olympics, the athletics federation is now targeting no fewer than four at the London Games in 2012.

Athletics SA (ASA) high performance co-ordinator Wilfred Daniels said at a training camp in Pretoria this week that they were looking to at least improve on athletics’ best Olympic performance to date — three medals at Sydney 2000. The SA track and field team also managed three in 1920. "

17/10/08 Welsh Athletics reaches a crisis. Many of the best coaches within Wales have lost confidence in the central organisation. WAA have increased paid staff, but not on the coaching side, and the whole attitude of the employed staff is it seems about ticking boxes More

7/10/2008 When I was a kid I followed the punk bands- my life then and loved the Clash in 1977 and the many other bands. Never thought they would become a symbol of sporting success, how weird that an alternative movement that started with the Sex Pistols and "Stuff the Jubilee"- I had the badge-would end up as a symbol of London. Ironic or what. Unless you lived in london in 1976/77 you will have no idea of the hassle we as youth had then- threats from police,thugs etc. It was edgy and exciting- but always dangerous, locked in small gigs with youths outside who were quite happy to beat us up. A long time ago. We survived.

17/10/2008 Medal Tally for YCG- no as good as I would have thought England would have hoped for. No relay teams.?

16/10/2008 My dates for U17/15 AAA have been questioned. They are from WAA site. If wrong let me know. It cannot be that hard to get a fixture list, but the England website (hosts of this competion) seems oblivious to any forthcoming events.

Scotland seem to confirm:

"7/02/2009
England Athletics Indoor Under 15, Under 17 and Under 20 Championships (and 8 February) TF "

I do not make things up, it a problem England AA need to address on their website. It is not good for the sport.

16/10/2008 Shaunna Thompson won the 200m with another record at 23.42. Hannah Lewis from NI made the final.

Wales had no athletes competing. So far , in my opinion they would have had athletes in the Female 100m and 200m final, with a chance of medals. We will never know, and WAA has no idea either. Sad situation, where kids train and then are deprived of a chance to shine. Scotland has disappointed, I would have thought they coud have been up there, but seems they have developed the Welsh malaise.

Scotland and Wales need to sort this out.

15/102008 Hannah Lewis (North Down AC) claimed the first athletics silver for Northern Ireland. Her winning jump of 5.85m was also a personal best. Good for Hannah, bad for UKA because she has elected to compete for Ireland rather than GB as allowed as an NI athlete. A very well done to her. She can run as well as jump.

Wales has won 5 medal-in swimming- obviously swimmers do not have to go to school, like Tennis players. I will milk this one until WAA apologise to the kids. Or they get rid of the people concerned.

14/10/2008 Shaunna Thompson (England) ran an amazing 11.48 to win YCG 100m Final -a Game record and 2nd fastest time for a U17 in the UK ever. England picked up 4 Gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze on day 1 in Athletics.

Wales had no medals in athletics to-day- because they had no team entered. Interesting fact for the WAA- in North Wales a young Lady is representing Wales in Tennis- with the support of her Head Teacher. Strangely at the same school a very talented young Welsh T&F Athlete-Hannah Thomas-is at her school desk, not in India. She would have, barring a disaster, been in the 100m final competing for a medal. Congratulations WAA, seems the real teachers were not as concerned as the teachers on the Welsh T&F committee as to the importance of missing a week or so of school.

13/10/2008 YCG Athletics starts to-morrow. It would seem UKA are oblivious, but I will publish results. Lets hope the GB Home Teams do well ( Wales are not attending). Bit disa[pointed at the size of the Scottish team as well. There we are , just kids.

11/10/08 Hopefully the London 2012 Committee were not relying on the Frozen Fish merchants(Iceland) to fun the bid for London . The clowns that run council funds, and charities, bleat yet again that they have lost money. They did this before with BCCI. These, and they are not the cleverest, should realise a fundamental principle in life- the higher the interest rate the greater the risk-especially if from an Island in the middle of no where. Whinge on, but fire the goons, who cant' be fired because they were just doing .... and it goes on. Will no some-one actually stand up and say I made a mistake, and resign. No, because they have pensions, holidays and every other funded benefit going on.

We have developed a society where no one is to blame, its some-one else. No responsibility for their actions. At least Dwain Chambers has admitted his mistakes, just wish he would name the names who got him into his personal mess, but as the IOC go back through the tests from Bejing will they find anything- they obviously think so, otherwise they would not bother.

Lose a laptop with personal details is OK, it was stolen, no-one seems to question why these clowns had such details on a laptop. Private information should remain within an office, what are they saying, I was going to do some work at home over a G&T.

They need an enforcer-I am as always available.

10/10/08 Making a start on 2008/09 Indoor T&F fixtures.You can add/edit via google spreadsheets . Not sorted by date yet, just adding what I can find. Scotland seemed to have dramatically reduced fixtures this year, and I must say I thought that more kids would have been going to YCG- what's going wrong in Scotland? let me know.

10/10/2008 I love irony , looking around for Indoor Fixtures the Welsh Athletics website came up with this fixture :

T&F India

Mon 13th Commonwealth Youth Games T&F India

Tue 14th Commonwealth Youth Games T&F India
Wed 15th Commonwealth Youth Games T&F India
Thur 16th Commonwealth Youth Games T&F India
Fri 17th Commonwealth Youth Games T&F India
Sat 18th Commonwealth Youth Games T&F India

Well at least they recognise the event is happening, bless them. No team from Wales though.

09/10/2008 Gathering dates for Indoor meetings, please email me if you have any. Will be available on-site and through the Googlemail Edit. Please email me with any Indoor Fixtures you are aware off.Thanks

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