USATF not sending team to 2024 World U20 champs in Peru - Should WA remove Eugene as host of 2026?

WA should hold the meet in Vancouver or Victoria, BC. USATF might be able to afford to send a team there if the dollar is strong enough!

The worse part is that many college coaches have chosen not to redshirt throwers to prepare competently for world juniors. So i am burning 2 throwers that i now should of redshirted with one female thrower that is leading the world in women's shot at 57 feet that won't get the chance. Use track and field has done many stupid things over the years but they need to be reminded the only reason they exist is to field teams especially important junior teams that gives the athletes great experience. JJSMITH Ole miss

Safety seems indefensible since they'd have to refuse most of the world to reject Peru level danger.

Is there any standard about dates of the competition? Late summer is a bad choice.

Ask the Athletes Advisory Committee if and how they are advocating for the U20 athletes.

It's later than usual, though with the Olympics it would be pretty hard to avoid that this year. Anyway, if someone thinks the dates are bad, they could refuse going. USATF really wouldn't need to make the decision for everyone.

Late summer for whom? it is early spring in Peru. That is part of the problem - Northern hemisphere people forgetting that the Southern seasons are reversed. Or should these meets only be in the Northern Hemisphere? Finances should NOT be an issue - if Canada can send a team (it used to make athletes pay ($2000-3000) up until a decade ago), for the U20 teams (first sponsored team was Eugene in 2014), then the the US certainly should be able to, or mismanagement charges need to be brought against USATF. You can't tell me that a sponsor can't be found -oh right, Nike owns USATF - if the organization wasn't corrupt. Perhaps a 'Go fund me" can be established.

It’s easy to see USATF short on cash and take shots at Max’s absurd salary, but he’s doing just what he was hired to do – run USATF as if it’s 1993. It’s absurd that an organization like this can't afford to field a U20 team, but that’s what happens when you treat our sport like it’s NASCAR. It’s not – fans will never go crazy watching track meets like they do other organized sports. But that weakness hides a profound strength. People don’t slowly race NASCAR race cars around their neighborhood in their spare time, but guess what untold numbers of people do, every single weekend? That’s where the money is, and USATF absolutely ignores it. I’m not saying we should turn our championship events into hobby jogs, but the organization should harness the power (and dollars) of all those mass participants, all those everyday runners. Talk to them, listen to them and then support them with the full power and prestige of USATF. If USATF treats these everyday runners as if they matter, and provides them with great USATF products, services, and information, they will engage with USATF and they will spend their money with USATF. If USATF does all of this well, instead of being an organization that most average runners have not heard of, it will have millions of new friends. This will allow USATF to better support the best of us and it will have plenty of money for things as ambitious as sending some talented kids to a summer track meet.

It seems silly for the US to send a team to U20 worlds when we already have two national high school xc championships, three for indoor and outdoor track, lots of internationally competitive open meets that top high schoolers can run at, plus the NCAA. How many championships do you need before age 20? If you want to compete at the world level, wait until you're ready to compete at the world level.

That said, we also shouldn't be hosting these meets.

WA's leadership likes the Nike gravy train too much to pull the meet from Nike's fiefdom.

possibly one of the dumbest comments I'll read today.

USATF not sending a team means no one from the US can go. You can't just self-enter to the World Championships.

Actually, if the meet were in Germany the safety level would be the same as for Peru:

I agree with you that the other excuses are garbage, too. Most of the team (sprinters, jumpers, throwers) would certainty not be running HS/college XC in August, and even the distance runners can certainly make the decision to do this in AUGUST.

travel.state.gov

Peru Travel Advisory

Link:travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/tra...

You can't boycott another host's event and then credibly host the next year. World Athletics should have the courage to move World Juniors away from Eugene.

Airborne daddy going to take a little trip if I die

Before I get back

Let the good old boys and girls from the USA

Run on the track

Am I right or wrong

Yeah, the "Aug 26-31 date of the event" cited as problematic for distance athletes really makes the withdrawl look like a straight-up con. Since the inception of World Junior/U20 Champs in 1986, five meets have commenced on or after Aug 15. Team USA participated in the four in bold below:

1992 Seoul Sep16-20

1996 Sydney Aug 20-25

2000 Santiago Oct 17-20

2006 Beijing Aug 15-20

2021 Nairobi Aug 17-22

It CAN happen (US boycotts 1980 Moscow Olympics, hosts 1984 Los Angeles Olympics), but I agree that it definitely SHOULD not happen.

To be fair they've been on the brink of civil war for like 2 years now. I have a lot of family in Peru and it's pretty dangerous there.

and cross nike! not going to happen.

f Max, f USATF