AK must make track and field more appealing

Athletics Kenya’s weekend meeting series drew to a close at the weekend in Thika with several elite athletes, including world beaters, on the start list.

And they didn’t disappoint, their performances on the dirt track a fitting inspiration to upstarts.

However, just like the other meetings before Thika, the crowds were nothing out of the ordinary.

Not a surprising fact as these meets are run in the same old fashion, with no innovation that would attract new audiences or inspire old ones to stay hooked.

At Thika, there was no live television coverage, no pre-meet hype, and, sadly, no title sponsor or partner!

It’s ludicrous, if not outright annoying, that Kenya has no sponsor for its premier track and field competitions, given the country’s enviable status as one of the world’s leading athletics nations.
Outdated meeting formats

It behoves AK to trigger queues of sponsors at Riadha House, itching to sign partnerships and grab opportunities to align themselves with our world-beating athletes.

But while other nations are busy seeking innovative ways to make track and field more exciting, Kenyan organisers are stuck with outdated weekend meeting formats.

Programmes haven’t changed since the late Julius Sang’s 43.5-second anchor leg inspired Kenya to an Olympic gold at the 1972 Games in Munich, drawing team-mates Hezekiah Nyamao, Charles Asati and Robert Ouko to the podium with him.

There’s simply no attraction or value addition for would-be sponsors of Kenyan athletics. Not even with a spanking new track at Kasarani.

It’s such a shame that an association with such potential as AK lacks a well-staffed and exposed marketing department whose job would be to drive revenues towards Riadha House, and offer sponsors return on investment.

Revenues that would in turn help develop the sport, rather than merely wait for kit sponsors Nike to dole out handouts that can hardly sustain national programmes.

Rather than innovate, AK officials have sat down and cashed in on the success of a steady stream of raw, natural talent that springs up, unprovoked, every other year, especially from the Rift Valley.

Ahead on major global championships, AK will rely on government handouts to settle athletes’ allowances and travel, if Nike or world athletics governing body, IAAF, aren’t writing the cheques.

It is such comfort zones and lack of innovation that keep sponsors and fans at bay, and, ultimately, fail to excite even the athletes themselves who are constantly seeking fresh challenges that will make them run faster, jump higher and throw further.

Elsewhere, nations like Australia and USA are busy creating new athletics properties that sponsors are gleefully jumping at.

They are creating heroes from scratch, and even elevating average athletes to global superstars who draw sponsors to whatever meet they compete in.

Qatar have done that to high jumper Mutaz Barshim, while the Aussies have elevated Sally Pearson to such pedestal. Bahrain, meanwhile, have cradle-snatched our own and developed them into overnight pin-up girls.

Last year, Athletics Australia and other partners introduced the Nitro Athletics while last weekend, the Americans held the third edition of the Adidas Boost Boston Games.

Sprints legend Usain Bolt was a top draw at the Nitro Athletics, a three-day meeting concept in Melbourne that saw the introduction of mixed gender relays and other exciting races such as the 60 and 150 metre sprints and para athletics in the meeting that drew full houses and attracted broad television coverage.

Like the Nitro Athletics, last weekend’s Adidas-inspired Boost Boston Games were a major hit, drawing some of the world’s top athletes to compete over two days on campus at the Massachusets Institute of Technology’s Steinbrenner Stadium, and on a special, 200-metre track on Charles Street in the heart of Boston.

Pole-vaulters and long jumpers also competed on open ground in the city, close to adoring fans.

It’s akin to having an exciting cocktail of middle and long distance races on the University of Nairobi’s track, field events at Uhuru Park and sprints on a special track on Uhuru Highway, open to the public on a random weekend.

Despite enjoying market dominance, Adidas officials at their Herzogenaurach head office in Bavarian Germany aren’t resting on their laurels, but continuously seek more ways to promote their brand, and, by extension, the sport.

And US Track and Field (USTAF) have jumped onto the opportunity to develop an interesting property.

BIG FRANCHISE MATCHES

The Adidas Boost Boston Games now form an integral part of USTAF’s annual outdoor calendar of events.

Such innovation we also see in sports like baseball, basketball and American football whose officials mooted the idea organising big franchise matches outside USA at venues such as London’s Wembley Stadium. Just to innovate and get out of their comfort zones.

For AK to excite sponsors, they too must change tack and create fresh properties that would have marketing managers pay attention.

They must stop doing things the same way and expecting sponsors to knock on Riadha House doors.

We all saw the huge crowds at Kasarani during last year’s IAAF World Under-18 Championships.

What have AK done to sustain such interest? Nothing, sadly.