UK Athletics is facing calls to conduct a "warts and all" examination of the sport and its failure to capitalize on the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics after its chair, Richard Bowker, "was forced to step down," according to Sean Ingle of the London GUARDIAN. Toni Minichiello, the coach of Jessica Ennis-Hill and a "respected member" of UK Athletics' members' council, said that Bowker’s departure must be used as an "opportunity to ask fundamental questions about how to stop athletics sliding into irrelevance," how best to help the grassroots, and how to "bring through the next generation of stars." Minichiello said, "Richard going represents the best opportunity since lottery funding came in to have a warts-and-all examination of the sport. It is interesting to reflect on a day where Andy Murray has highlighted the lack of legacy in tennis, that athletics has also failed to develop strategies to capitalize on the legacies of Jessica Ennis-Hill, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford and the London 2012 generation." UK Athletics "was plunged into turmoil on Wednesday when Bowker’s short and undistinguished reign" as chair ended with him stepping down "rather than face a vote of no-confidence -- which he would have lost" -- from the UK Athletics members’ council (GUARDIAN, 1/16). In London, Ben Bloom reported former marathon British record holder Sarah Rowell, a current member of the UK Athletics board, will serve as interim chair until a permanent replacement is found. The governing body is yet to replace Niels de Vos, who quit as CEO last September after 11 years in charge. Rowell: "The board is very sorry to see him (Bowker) leave at this time but, based on the recent decisions while he was chair, the progress that will now be made in the areas of talent, competition and coaching in the coming years will be the real legacy of his tenure" (TELEGRAPH, 1/16).
