Helping Hand: Olympic Marathon Trials Hosts Need USATF Support
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Boston, N.Y. Marathons Seeking To Host U.S.
Olympic Trials For 2012 London Games |
Boston and N.Y. Marathon officials, who recently hosted the U.S. women's and men's Beijing Olympic marathon trials, respectively, are "eager to bring the 2012 [London] Olympic trials back to their cities, as long as the [USATF] helps them recoup the $1[M] it cost to piggyback another event on their" regularly scheduled races, according to Jimmy Golen of the AP. Both marathons, N.Y. in November and Boston Monday, held the trials the day before their normally scheduled races, but the extra event cost each race more than $1M. Boston Athletic Association Exec Dir Guy Morse, whose organization controlled the Boston races, said, "We don't believe it should be incumbent upon the local organizing committee to have to support it 100[%]. We knew that going in, and we made that commitment. But we won't do it again" under those circumstances. The USATF awarded the races to Boston and N.Y. after "decades of holding distinct, but largely ignored, marathons to choose the Olympic teams." N.Y. Road Runners President Mary Wittenberg, whose organization runs the N.Y. Marathon, said, "We've taken the trials to a whole new level. I think we're shortchanging everybody if we don't find a way to build on it" (AP, 4/22). Morse: "The model needs to be reviewed. The structure of the deal needs to change." In Boston, John Powers noted the USOC, "which was delighted with the orchestration of both trials, is willing to be flexible." USOC CMO Rick Burton: "By 2012, I do think it'll be done differently." Powers noted "at issue were the USOC's rules about sponsors, which require organizers either to use the USOC's or to find companies in non-competing categories, which don't include the rights to use the Olympic name or symbols." Burton: "When it's an Olympic trials, we have an obligation to protect our sponsors." But sponsor conflicts between the trials and the annual marathons "were inevitable." Wittenberg: "You take our sponsors and their sponsors and cross over, and it's a short list" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/23).
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