Scrap the Continental Cup!
7:04 am, Tue September 16, 2014
By Ricardo Chambers
Over the weekend I watched the IAAF Continental Cup. I can't say I watched with any great interest, but it was track and field, so I took a look. But all I remember thinking was that this is just one event too many on the international athletics calendar.
Mind you, there is some money on offer, and I am sure especially the lower tier athletes who competed were happy to walk away with a decent pay day, from US$30 thousand for winning, to US$1000 for 8th place.
Yes, some of the world's best athletes were in attendance, but for me too many were not. There just seemed to be something lacking; the television coverage seemed less impressive than what we have become accustomed to from the IAAF, even the commentators, the very best of them from the Diamond League, at-least on the opening day, sounded like a drag. The crowd support in Morocco was also poor, to add to the list of unimpressive things about the meet.
The Continental Cup is a points scoring event among Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Americas, which the Jamaican athletes represent, was held for the second time, and is a revamped version of the IAAF Gold Cup, which back then had powerful nations like the United States and Russia competing as individual teams.
The Gold Cup had a long history, having started in 1977, but I think the IAAF realised it was losing its relevance and appeal, hence the changes. They have tried to find the right blend, but I don't think they have.
Earlier this year the IAAF staged the World Relays for the first time. With the World Championships, plus the relays, which I think have a lot of potential, the IAAF needs to focus on making those events the best they can be and just do away with the Continental Cup, once and for all.
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