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

READ: We won't have the money to pay for it after we settle Max's annual raise and bonus, pay for four-star hotels and lavish dinners for two weeks in Paris during the Olympics, and other assorted federation f**kery that costs money.

It will be super funny if other big track nations announce that they are skipping Eugene's World U20 Championships citing safety due to America's ongoing gun violence crisis, racist and anti-LGBTQ+ policies in some places, and an inability to find reasonably priced lodging in the Willamette Valley.

The State Department currently has travel to Peru as "Level 2" precautions, level 1 being no precautions. And Level 4 being do not travel. So essentially one step from "no big deal at all". If you go through the list, there's dozens of vacation destinations for Americans at this level including the Bahamas and the Dominican. Even Jamaica is a higher level than this. My point is using this as an excuse is BS. So what is really going on here?

This is CRAZY. World Athletics reaction to this should be simple - strip the US of the 2026 meet which is supposed to be held in Eugene.

If the US isn't going to support the meet when it's elsewhere, why should the rest of the world support it when it's here?

Did you know Peru is on the same safety list as the UK and France? After we finish writing the WTW, we are going to work on an editorial urging WA to strip the US of the 2026 meet.

PS. I have added the second part to the title - the part asking if WA should remove the US as the 2026 host?

Just as NCAA athletes have repeatedly sued the NCAA, U20 athletes should unite and file a lawsuit against USATF

Here is the Travel Advisory issued by the State Department for Peru. It is listed as a "Level 2" advisory. Some other Level 2s include: Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, and Italy.

travel.state.gov

Peru Travel Advisory

Open link

If we're being real, some athletes peak at junior level and then never do anything ever again. For USATF to rob such athletes of going to World Juniors *twice* now is unacceptable.

Just USATF being too cheap to spend their money to run an event and then also too cheap to want to help provide for those who qualify. Partly why they combined U20 nationals with Nike Outdoor.

Paying Max Siegel like $7 million since 2020 so that they can be a dumpster fire.

The competitive readiness claim is also kind of weak considering the gap between HS and College XC nationals and the starts of USATF XC and Worlds XC is almost as long as the one between USATF nationals and Worlds. Hey USATF, maybe if you ran your own event in July instead of tagging along with Nike's event, the gap wouldn't be as big of a problem???

It's funny that lack of events is given as an excuse when US track is already famous for skipping as many events as possible so they can squeeze out some more training. Gotta prep these kids for being a pro in the US.

Only legit thing is the travel advisories, but even then the advisory is mostly for the opposite side of the country. Might as well ban kids from going on mission trips too.

I agree, actually. Joke of an organization on USATFs part. Can't afford a team from paying Max's bonus salary.

Huge loss to the sport and to the athletes that could have gone.

The general consensus lately on ALL things USATF is that it's a faltering mismanaged disaster, from youth to pro, disappointing and underdelivering on every level.

So what can be done about it?

Of the three areas of concern, safety of US citizens seems to hold the most weight.

Travel advisories issued by the US State Department because of the ongoing civil unrest in the area...
...we have the responsibility to prioritize the safety and security of all involved.

The August 26-31 date of the event [during which] ...distance/cross-country [student-] athletes will be early in their cross-country season. Weak BS, imo.

A lack of adequate competitive opportunities during the 11-week period immediately preceeding the event. Are US athletes notably more constrained in this regard than athletes from any other country?

Imagine this year's event to be held in Vancouver or Berlin on the same dates. The safety concerns disappear. Would the other two reasons given justify a wholesale Team USA withdrawl?

I just looked it up. Colombia had a Level 3 travel advisory ("Reconsider Travel") throughout 2022 but USATF still sent a team to the 2022 World U20 champs in Cali.

History repeating. Nearly four decades ago, USATF was formed to replace the corrupt and woefully mismanaged TAC (The Athletics Congress). We've come full circle!

So who can fix it
and how?

For anyone who knows the inner workings of the USATF: is there any chance at all they could reverse the decision under pressure? Like if a lot of prominent Team USA alumni of U20s signed an open letter shaming them, or something?

Honestly, this is corruption and incompetence. The kids should blow this up all over social media and really make a fuss. There is no reason this should be the case. If enough people challenge this and go to the media they may cave.

They def could but it needs a lot of media attention.

yeah-pressure would need to come from senior athletes--obviously Siegel has to go-corrupt from day 1; longer-term something like a boycott of USA's in an non-championship year like 2026; problem is unlike golf or tennis-stars in track have way less name recognition and they barely race/compete...

Even Canada sent a team to Nairobi, and are going to Peru as well. So what excuse has the USA got? Readiness should be up the athletes and coaches - the sprint and field event coaches certainly shouldn't have a problem. They don't do fall XC, and it might actually promote more meets in the summer for them. I find it silly that summer meets in the US almost stop after NCAA or USATF Champs/trials - when the weather in much of the country is fine for sprinting and field events. Not sure why "base" development for XC affects other events at all. But then it is too scholastic oriented here - Europe competes in outdoor track AND field (Athletics there) into September!

Gault,

I guess that is not news other that the "official" press release. It was obvious that USATF heads were looking to save some money after the bills from Eugene Worlds keep adding up. They did not select a staff to support the team this past December.

The rest of the World accomodates the competitive opportunities to serve the athletes and compete at U20 Worlds. We place excuses of why we should not send a team.

It is a tragedy and disservice to any U20 athlete that will miss the opportunity to represent their country.