Report: Cut Olympic Trials down to 5 days
By KVAL.com StaffEUGENE, Ore. -- A task force studying ways to improve U.S. track and field performances at the Olympic games recommends shortening the Olympic Track and Field Trials to no more than 5 days. The study by a task force of USA Track and Field says the 10-day trials are mentally and physically too long for some athletes, who need to recover from peak performances like the Olympic Trials in order to compete at the summer Olympics. Eugene will host the 2012 Olympic Trials at historic Hayward Field. Eugene hosted the 2008 trials, held over 10 days. Two of those days were rest days. Local tourism officials worry cutting the trials in half would result in a similar cut in the economic benefit to the region. "Last year the competition and the festival combined generated over $ 28 million for the economy, so shortening those days would have an impact," said Lisa Lawton with the Convention and Visitors Association of Lane County. "We'd like to see the greatest impact but ultimately want what's best for the athletes." According to the report, the Project 30 Task Force "found that the length of the Olympic Trials as they are currently staged – eight days of competition over 10 calendar days – to be overly burdensome on athletes and counterproductive to the goal of selecting a team that will perform at its best at 5 Olympic competition. The physical and mental exhaustion can be too much for some athletes to recover from." "The Task Force recommends that the Olympic Trials be shortened to no more than five days," according to the report. "The shortening of the Trials could be achieved in several ways. Toughening qualifying standards, reducing the number of rounds and tightening the schedule are among the considerations." "I have read the report several times and will confess that some of their findings are jarring and shocking," Doug Logan, the CEO of USA Track and Field who commissioned the task force, wrote on his blog. "However, we must all be big enough to admit our lapses and move to improve. Simple failings require decision makers to make changes; systemic failings cry out for transformational change." |
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