Athletes must have final word on Diamond League – Stewart

Swept Track Club head coach and founder Okeil Stewart says that athletes have the final say whether they return to the track for meets this year.

His comments came on the heels of World Athletics releasing a provisional calendar yesterday outlining the reformatted 2020 Diamond League season, which has now been reduced to 11 meets. The season has been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic and the revised timetable comes with new changes to the format which include the absence of a Diamond League final and no points being allocated. The new schedule would see the season starting in Monaco on August 14 and extended to October.

Stewart says that while guidance would be given, he would leave athletes to decide how to proceed.

Encouraged the athlete

"I put the decision primarily on the athletes. I wouldn't want to be the one to say I was the one who encouraged the athlete to go and then [something] happens," Stewart told STAR Sports " It can lead to death, it can lead to serious long-term health issues."

As a result of the changes, World Athletics also determined that there would be no meets in July and the first half of August. According to the press release, the meet organisers would determine the format and disciplines for their competitions two months in advance in order to operate in line with their local government's requirements. Jamaica's airports are currently closed until the end of May with controlled re-entry for Jamaican citizens.

Stewart says that the announcement does give a ray of hope for those wanting to compete and regain lost income provided that it is safe to do so and if travel allows.

"It is always good to have something in place that we can look forward to should the environment flow for travel and also a chance to compete and the earning potential as well but everything depends on how the pandemic is going on. " Stewart told STAR Sports. "That is the key in this regard. However, [getting timelines] that you can work towards, it always eases the pressure on the athletes mind and also on the coaches knowing that there is something that you can work towards and achieve."

Diamond League

Provisional Schedule

August: Monaco (14th), Gateshead

(16th), Stockholm (23rd)

September: Lausanne (2nd), Brussels (4th), Paris (6th), Rome/Naples (17th) Shanghai (19th)

October: Eugene (4th) Doha (9th) China (17th, venue TBA)