Two-time British shot put champion Amelia Strickler faces a World Championship ban. Credit: PA/Martin Rickett
UK Athletics has warned it will face an exodus of athlete talent if it doesn't change a controversial selection policy that is said to “rob” people of their place.
National governing body The body on Friday will announce its team for next month's World Championships in Budapest, but the group of about 20 athletes who will be invited by World Athletics but not selected as part of the British team has already sparked outrage.
While World Athletics accepts athletes based on their world ranking position or the achievement of a certain qualifying standard, the UKA states that each athlete on a team must reach a set time or distance in 2023.
This selection standard The UKA has been made difficult in a number of events this year and means that the UK will take part in the World Championships either without any representation or without the full quota of possible available places at some events.
Amelia Strickler, a shot putter who also almost broke the UKA's strict Olympic standard two years ago, is poised to take legal action and wonders if CEO Jack Buckner or UKA board members should now be funded by the official British delegation when world-ranked athletes were denied entry. competitions.
She also said that the UK is losing athletes who may have the opportunity to compete for other countries with different eligibility rules.
And, despite a difficult year for me, I still claim the title of world champion, but I can’t even go because the federation will not give me a chance 😪 https://t.co/4fO4HhSWq1
— Amelia Strickler (@ AmeliaStrickler, July 27, 2023
“This [talent drain] is already happening,” she said. “It's shocking. It sucks. World Athletics says we are good enough. The federations must accept this as the truth. I feel like a big opportunity was stolen from me. It's not easy to be in the rankings – you have to consistently show good results throughout the year.
“They seem to try to cut the budget where they can and only take medals, but some of these people [do not go] are ranked terribly high places in the world. You don't have to take part of the staff they take. The CEO [Jack Buckner] doesn't have to go. He is there to watch. Why can't his plane ticket be for a decent athlete? It's terrible to be completely counted out before we've crossed the finish line. It's heartbreaking.”
Strickler is currently ranked 38th in the world in the women's shot put (and first in the UK) and is adamant that all affected athletes will find a way to get to Budapest on their own, even if the UKA just agrees rather than fund their places. . Also not left out are Lina Nielsen, who is ranked 25th in the world and whose time in the 400m hurdles would have been good enough even by UK standards last year, as well as Joshua Zeller, who finished fifth in the world final. in the 110m hurdles last year and is currently ranked 29th.
400m runner hurdler Lina Nielsen is also set to miss the World Championships despite being ranked 25th in the world Credit & Copyright: British Athletics/Nathan Stirk
Heptathlete Jade O'Dowda and discus thrower Jade Lally are in the top 20 in the world, but narrowly missed the UKA selection standard, so their places will go to athletes from other countries below them on the World Athletics list.
< p>“Personally, I'm considering suing,” said Strickler, who competed but didn't make it to the finals of last year's World and European Championships. “Even if it doesn’t benefit me right now, if it can benefit others in the future, I think that would be great. As an organization, they [UK Athletics] have done nothing for me except make it harder.”
Nielsen told the Guardian that “UK Athletics makes us feel like the shittiest athletes in the world.” while Zeller said that UK Athletics “simply make their own rules”.
UK Athletics are adamant that selection policy is independent of finances and there is a strong sense that it is more fair to have predetermined standards so that athletes know exactly where they are at the start of the year and selection is less subjective. The UKA selection standard has been developed by statisticians and event group experts.
Buckner had already warned earlier this year that there would be a “slightly sharper edge” to the selection policy, which would focus on “big hitters” and include smaller teams at events like the World Championships and the Olympics. . He implemented a similar policy when he was CEO of the British swimming organization, whose athletes achieved tremendous success at the Tokyo Olympics.
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