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Fast Track Launches UK Athletics Outdoor Season

The world’s fastest man – World and Olympic 100m champion Maurice Greene – will head a cast of Olympic champions flying into the UK this summer ahead of the World Championships in Edmonton.

Greene will take on Britain’s hungry posse of world class sprinters at the highlight of UK Athletics’ season – the Norwich Union British Grand Prix at Crystal Palace – on ‘Superstar Sunday’ – July 22nd.

This year’s London showpiece has been switched from a Saturday afternoon to a Sunday evening and will be broadcast live on the prime television slot between 7pm and 9.45pm – following on from the Open Golf on a huge day of sport for the BBC.

‘This is great news for British athletics,’ said Jon Ridgeon, Director of Athletics at meeting organisers Fast Track. ‘It provides another indicator of the enhanced status and prestige the sport is once again enjoying whilst also reflecting the excellent viewing figures the live Norwich Union meetings have provided the BBC.’

‘It should guarantee a far bigger TV audience and also fulfils our aim of bringing back the glory days of evening athletics at Crystal Palace. It’s taken a lot of negotiating with the IAAF but we firmly believe that this is the start of something special as in 2002, the British Grand Prix will take place on a Friday evening along with other leading European meetings such as Zurich, Brussels and Oslo.

Other Olympic champions already signed up to compete alongside Greene at the Palace include 1500m champion Noah Ngeny and recent London marathon winner and double Olympic 10,000m champion Deratu Tulu – as this year’s British Grand Prix already looks set to consolidate its growing reputation as one of the finest meetings in the world.

PRIZE MONEY SYSTEM

The commercial support from Norwich Union provides for prize money and bonus payments across the board that exceed those available anywhere else in the world.

A prize fund of $670,000 is available at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix at which winners in selected events will collect $20,000 – the highest on offer anywhere in Europe.

$360,000 is available at the Norwich Union Classic in Gateshead on 19th August whilst the Norwich Union Challenge in Glasgow on 1st July is the richest match in the sport with a prize fund in excess of $250,000.

BONUS PAYMENT SYSTEM

Bonus payments also exceed those on offer elsewhere in the world, whilst in addition there are a greater range of bonuses available for British athletes competing in the UK.

At $100,000 the world record bonus is more than double that on offer elsewhere and applies to more events (all Olympic disciplines and the mile, as opposed to selected Golden League events). World records in non-Olympic disciplines are entitled to $50,000 bonuses whilst in developing events such as the women’s steeplechase $25,000 is on offer.

British records in Olympic disciplines (and the mile) will be rewarded with a Rover Car valued at $15,000 with $5,000 on offer in non-Olympic events and $2,500 available in developing events.

These bonuses are not only available at the Challenge, Grand Prix and the Classic, but also apply to the Aqua-Pura International at Loughborough University on 20th May and the Norwich Union World Trials & AAA Championships in Birmingham on 13th, 14th and 15th July.

‘The prize money fund and bonus payments are aimed at attracting the world’s best athletes to the UK, but also providing optimal income earning opportunities for British athletes. As such we will continue to ensure that the British meetings have the highest percentage of home grown athletes on the Grand Prix circuit,’ said Alan Pascoe, Chairman of Fast Track.

KEY ISSUES / NEW DEVELOPMENTS

Perhaps the most significant change to the format of this year’s calendar is the inclusion of the Russians to the Norwich Union Challenge – which is sure to add a new dimension to the annual GB v USA clash. It will be the first time since 1990 that the two ‘super powers’ met (then USSR).

Like the Grand Prix, the Norwich Union World Trials and AAA Championships have also been moved to a new time slot. This year’s domestic showdown has been moved back two hours at the request of the BBC from mid afternoon to a prime-time early evening position and will be shown live on Saturday for two hours between 5pm and 7pm and for three hours on Sunday between 5pm and 8pm.

Other new developments include the introduction of a select number of disability races to reflect the profile and popularity of the Paralympics and to provide our top disabled athletes with a new range of opportunities.

Discussions are also taking place with Denise Lewis and Dean Macey about the possibility of putting on a multi event challenge within one of the meetings – aimed at offering Britain’s top all-round athletes with a valuable competitive opportunity ahead of Edmonton, whilst also providing the British public with a rare glimpse of two of Britain’s biggest global stars in action.

However, at the request of UK Athletics, Fast Track will not be using this summer’s meetings to trial the new IAAF rule change proposals – and will therefore not be adopting the one false start and two attempts in the field events that the IAAF have suggested.

‘If ultimately the IAAF Council develop those rule change proposals into IAAF law when they meet in Edmonton, then it is possible that UK Athletics may be forced to implement those changes in time for the Norwich Union Classic, but I can state categorically that, as things stand, they will not be introduced in the UK,’ said Pascoe.

For further information contact:

Andy Kay
Media Dept
Fast Track
Tel: 020 7245 0206
Fax: 020 7245 0203
Mob: 07710 170494