Numbers up but standards down for Glasgow's Games

Sports writer

Saturday 14 April 2012

SCOTLANd'S athletics team at Glasgow 2014 could be the largest ever.

Allison Curbishley won silver in the 400m in Kuala Lumpur and the Scottish record she set there still stands. Picture: SNS

Custom byline text:

Doug Gillon

That's the conclusion after the agreement of selection policy and standards last week by scottishathletics, Scottish Disability Sport, and Commonwealth Games Scotland.

In 32 of the 44 men's and women's disciplines, it will be easier to qualify for Glasgow than it was for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. It is mortifying to learn that, after almost 16 years of lottery funding and 13 with an Institute of Sport, Scotland is now seeking inferior performances in a majority of events compared to in 1998, before the institute opened. In 11 events, the standards set for 2014 are identical to those required for India. In only one (the men's 800 metres), will it be harder. It took 1min 47.80sec to be eligible for Delhi, but that has been lowered for Glasgow to 1:47.50.

We are assured this is not deliberate policy, to increase team numbers with a view to promoting ticket sales for the home Games, but rather it is the consequence of declining Commonwealth standards and a decision to use slightly modified criteria, which involved averages over the previous three Commonwealth Games.However, it is a fact that, 14 years ago, it was more difficult to qualify in more than half of the men's and women's disciplines than it will be in 2014. Almost four years after lottery funding for sport came on stream, the smallest Scottish athletics team in living memory, with 18 members, returned from Kuala Lumpur in 1998 with a single medal: silver from Allison Curbishley in the 400m. Her Scottish record of 50.71 still stands.KL qualifying standards were high. Indeed, in 11 of the 20 men's events, they were tougher than those now laid down for Glasgow. Nine of the 19 women's individual standards sought in 1998 were also tougher. The biggest change is in the men's 1500m. A time of 3:42.20 will book a place in the race in Glasgow. For KL, the selectors wanted 3:38.50. Glasgow's Grant Graham didn't have a sniff at the team with 3:41.5.However one dresses it up, this is inescapable evidence of declining performance by Scottish athletes in an era when lottery funding and the Institute of Sport might reasonably have been expected to raise the bar. It's a moot point whether the sport's aversion to radical change or the failure of the lottery system is to blame. Given swimming's dramatic improvement in the same period, one inclines to focus on the former.Nevertheless, the chance by-product of the 2014 standards is that a Scotland Commonwealth athletics vest will never be easier to earn. Qualifying performances for 2014 – athletics is first to announce sport-specific standards – were not chosen with an eye to encouraging competition for places. "These are not figures plucked out of the sky," insisted Nigel Holl, the chief executive of scottishathletics, yesterday. "It's based on a statistical look at what it will take in 2014 to get an athlete into a final. Standards have got easier, not because it's a home Games, but because of the averaging out."That quirk means more accessible marks which will encourage aspiration. There is no overall limit, and up to three representatives per event can be nominated provided marks are achieved twice (once for the marathon) within the prescribed time frame. A further welcome decision is the introduction of three selection windows. Early nominations will be made for those who measure up by September 30, 2013, and then April 2014, before final team additions in June 2014.This will ease the pressure for those who reach the required level by autumn next year. Confirmed selection will promote uninterrupted preparation, without the need to peak for early June, and risk leaving their best performance at the trials.Peaking again for the Games is a big ask. The CGS are to be congratulated on ending a tradition which was never geared to drawing the best from athletes. Holl said: "It's a clear opportunity and message to athletes and coaches. The standards are consistent with the generic policy which CGS has adopted. Essentially, we were looking at top eight finalists and standards required to get into a final where heats or qualifying rounds were needed."We checked a 12-year cycle, based on averages of results in the previous three Games: Delhi, Melbourne and Manchester. For Delhi we looked at Melbourne, Manchester and Kuala Lumpur. If we'd looked only at Delhi [in assessing 2014 standards] some of the Glasgow standards would have been even easier."This is because of a procession of elite absentees (notably Jessica Ennis, Phillips Idowu, and Mo Farah from England), plus the Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Kerron Stewart and a rash of Kenya's best athletes.Reasons ranged from security, climate and health concerns, plus the lateness of the Games (in October) disrupting traditional winter training. It also followed some weeks after the European championships in Barcelona, which is more of a priority to many UK athletes, though no Scots took this view.Besides pointing to declining status of the Commonwealth event, it meant the level of performances in Delhi finals evaluated by statisticians was unavoidably skewed. Arnold Black, who advised those drawing up standards, confirms that, with KL dropping out and Delhi data coming in, averages inevitably fell. His evaluation of the last three European and Commonwealth championships suggests a potential problem for Glasgow, in restoring the status of the latter."The 2010 Commonwealth Games was the poorest in comparison to the Europeans," he said. "The Europeans had massive dominance in the field events in the last three Games, but the Commonwealths held up strongly in 2006 and 2002 on the track, especially men's track. Indeed, winning times in 2002 and 2006 were faster in more events at the Commonwealths than at the Europeans. But women's track at the Commonwealths isn't nearly as strong. In 2002 it nearly matched the Euros, but has fallen away quite badly in the two Games since."

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Numbers up but standards down for Glasgow's Games

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED