US athletes firmly opposed to the reform of the Diamond League

Los Angeles (AFP)

A group of athletes from the American Federation (USATF) on Tuesday strongly criticized the International Federation (IAAF) for its new formula of the Diamond League, which will remove next year four events from most of its meetings, accusing the body to be "disconnected".

In an open letter to Sebastian Coe, the IAAF President, the USATF Athletes Advisory Committee said he "wholeheartedly condemned" the reforms of the Diamond League.

Last week, the IAAF announced the elimination of the triple jump, the 200 meter, the 3000 meter steeplechase and the discus of the program from a number of meetings on the calendar of this competition.

"The IAAF and the organizers of the Diamond League have been completely disconnected from the sport they are supposed to develop and protect", indignant the group of American athletes, accusing these authorities to put the actors of this sport to the gap in the reform process.

The IAAF hopes that this redesign will allow the meetings, shortened in their duration, to seduce the broadcasters better.

"We understand that changes are needed to be attractive to the public, but the IAAF has shown no willingness to include a sufficient number of athletes in the process of reflection and decision-making, and this is where our frustration ", explain the American athletes, judging" the decisions taken, interested and biased ".

The "rebels" call on the world body to reconsider this reform and wish "the representatives of the athletes to be invited to the table to correct this major misstep".

The four disciplines set aside do not completely disappear from the meetings. The men's 200m and 3000m steeplechase will be on the five-stage program and the same women's events will be scheduled for five more stages. A meeting will propose the triple jump and the male discus throw and another will propose these events in female version.

The hostile reactions to this reform were not long in the world of athletics. The American Christian Taylor, double Olympic triple jump champion, has announced the creation of an association of athletes to allow them to make their voices heard better.

On Saturday, triple jump world record holder Jonathan Edwards said Taylor's denial of a Diamond League milestone was "beyond comprehension".

© 2019 AFP