Athletics in Scotland faces a makeover under proposals to radically reshape its com-petition structure from next year onwards.
A review is to be set up to examine how the sport can be made more spectator-friendly, while attracting the next generation of would-be Olympians away from their televisions and on to the track.
There will be no sacred cows, scottishathletics chief executive Nigel Holl confirmed at yesterday's launch of the body's annual plan. UK Athletics (UKA) are to closely monitor the results, so any overhaul could lead to some traditional all-day meetings being replaced by quickfire Twenty 20-style events.
"I have a 12-year-old son who competes for Central AC and sometimes he'll be asked to be at a competition from 9am to 6pm on a Sunday but he'll only run twice," Holl said. "That kind of thing can be torture for the kids and torture for their parents.
"So it's about addressing the way competition is set up so that it is fun, but also provides the structure needed to develop top athletes. We want something short, sharp, exciting and vibrant so a lot more people can be involved without having to set aside a whole day. But we will do it in a way that positions clubs at the heart of the structure."
It is not an entirely novel approach. UKA's Super8, which pitted city-based teams against one another, received positive reviews when it was launched in 2009 but was bedevilled by sponsorship problems and was scrapped due to lack of entries ahead of a scheduled meeting in Glasgow two years ago.
More enduring formats have been the British Milers Club events held throughout the UK, and scottishathletics' Hammerama, a development clinic and competition for hammer throwers.
With options expected by the end of the summer, Holl claims there is an appetite for change. He added: "We want to capture great ideas then put them out to the sport to see what we can achieve."
Holl pledged to continue the mission to develop new coaches and strengthen ties with local clubs, as well as preparing athletes for next year's Commonwealth Games. There will be a review of jogscotland in the hope of "some fresh thinking" while "reaffirming what it brings to athletics," Holl said.
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