|
Clermont-Ferrand was a disappointment. The WMA officials and local organisers obviously did not have the basic concerns of the Athlete foremost in their minds. Athletics officials and organisers must always think:
1. Respect
2. The Athlete is King
3. The Customer is Always Right.
All good things flow from that. Some tentative lessons for future championships:
First (not foremost). Athlete's package. The Clermont-Ferrand medal in the athlete's package was very nice. Everyone got a smart expensive-looking memento medal. Worth repeating in coming championships.
No list of athletes. Big mistake. Worked against the basic purpose of the championships - fraternisation and coming together. Athletes and spectators want to identify and discuss the athletes competing. You made us anonymous. Next championships absolutely must have a list of competitors.
The funny one - safety pins. Athletes assume that their entry fees entitle them to athlete number bibs with accompanying free safety pins. In future championships do not charge your athlete paying guests 1 Euro extra for the necessary packet of safety pins.
Second (and perhaps foremost). Results. Supplying immediate results to the athletes should have priority over supplying results to the internet. Furthermore, the immediate results to the athletes are more important than all information about local sightseeing, coming athletics championships, commercial activities, etc. You have a duty to inform athletes quickly whether or not they have passed heats, semi-finals, etc and are still in the competition. (It was intolerable to wait four hours for the results of the M65 60m quarterfinal for instance - completely disrupting the daily planning of the athletes, their partners and friends). Allocate considerable resources to the timely posting of results. Allocate enough space - at least 2 square metres on a flat wall - per age group and sex. Post results within 30 minutes. Remove old results, heats, semi-finals etc. after 24 hours until only finals remain. Consider new technology - providing athletes with computer areas with results, or using displays to project results continuously on walls, ceilings, screens, etc. Above all - prioritise the results concerns of the athlete in future championships. Big topic.
Third. Starting. The Clermont-Ferrand starters - with their short pause after "prêt" ("ready") - were really very good, avoiding a lot of false starts and thus programme delays. Make sure that fast starting technique is continued into future championships.
Fourth. Food. Food was OK. But there must be basic food and drink available all the time during the entire period of competition, even when it is delayed into the evening. A lesson for future championships.
Fifth, adherence to Rules...? There is much more - some of it controversial - to be said…I have only scratched the surface. Much is already on Ken's Blog but it may be a bit more visible and enduring on the Forum. Let's learn from the Clermont-Ferrand experience so it will benefit future championships in a positive way …
Last edited by Anthony Treacher on Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
|
Top
