“Disappointing”: Track and Field Fans Unhappy as £2 Million News Continue to Threaten the Sport

British athletics just can’t seem to catch a break! After a stellar performance at the Paris Olympics, where Team GB snagged ten medals and ranked as the country’s second-best sport after cycling, you’d think things would be looking up for track and field. But nope—turns out, success doesn’t always pay the bills. Despite their podium-worthy performance, UK athletics is staring down the barrel of a budget cut.

According to The Times, UK Sport is set to divvy up a $344 million pot for the next Olympic cycle at a meeting this Thursday. However, before the final decision’s even been made, UK Athletics got some tough news: they might lose 10% of the £22.7 million they received for Paris. Naturally, they’ve been busy lobbying to change the minds of UK Sport, but so far, there’s no sign of a miracle. Fans are starting to get a little nervous, and honestly, who can blame them?

Reddit’s track and field community r/trackandfield wasn’t thrilled about the funding fiasco—unsurprisingly. One user, Ok-Procedure-8027, summed up the mood perfectly with a post captioned, “Well, that’s no good.” The comment section? A mix of tension, gloom, and frustration, with everyone agreeing it’s a rough day for British athletics.

The timing couldn’t be worse, either. Just last month, the dire state of UK track and field was laid bare for all to see, and now this funding cut feels like salt in the wound. UK Sport is playing a tricky balancing act with its £344 million budget. After all, track and field crushed it in Paris—Keely Hodgkinson bagged 800m gold, and stars like Josh Kerr and Matt Hudson-Smith came painfully close to their own golden moments. It was Team GB’s second-best performance after cycling, yet cycling and rowing are getting more cash. Make it make sense! The problem runs deeper, though.

UK Athletics has been struggling financially for a while, and a recent Athletics Weekly article from November 5th revealed just how bleak things are. Athletes aiming to represent Great Britain in “off-track” events next year—like the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships or the European and World Road Running Championships—will have to pay their own way. Yep, you read that right. Representing your country now comes with a price tag, unless it’s for the European Cross Country Championships, which will still be fully funded.

Chris Jones, UKA’s Endurance Strategy Manager, didn’t sugarcoat it: “It’s not what anybody wants, saying you have to pay to represent Great Britain. The landscape has changed. However, as custodians of the sport, then we have a responsibility across the whole sport. That’s the challenge.” He called the situation a harsh reality of today’s financial challenges, adding that the sport desperately needs a savior—maybe a big sponsor—to change the game. For now, though, UK Athletics is stuck in survival mode, even as its athletes continue to shine on the global stage and fans have a lot to say!

The track and field community is heavily disappointed with recent developments in the sport

Fans have been calling this whole situation a dark day for track and field. One fan put it perfectly: “I’m British and American, so I root for both countries. This is disappointing. Also, there is a lot of politics happening behind the scenes with UK Athletes leadership changing so much recently. These athletes have worked their butts off and brought home a lot of medals. Now many of the up-and-coming athletes will have to drop out because of funding.”

It’s not like the UK track and field federation is free of drama either. The selection process for major competitions has people scratching their heads. Take hammer thrower Jake Norris, for example. Ranked 13th in the world, he was eligible for Paris but got snubbed because the UK’s selection panel only picks athletes they think can crack the top eight. Spoiler alert: he didn’t make the cut. Imagine what might’ve happened if he had been there, ready to shake things up.

And let’s not forget the cherry on this bitter cake—some athletes will have to pay their own way to represent their country next year. Yep, it’s 2024, and you might need a GoFundMe to wear your nation’s colors. One fan summed it up: “They’ve already talked about athletes having to contribute towards entry fees for races; likely will continue.” Resigned and disappointed, another added, “Sad day for track and field.” But this isn’t just a UK problem—it’s a Europe-wide ripple effect.

One fan pointed out that the Netherlands, fresh off their most successful Olympics ever, is staring down the barrel of huge sports funding cuts too.“Netherlands is apparently going to do the same thing after their most successful Olympics ever. The new government is proposing huge cuts to sports funding. The sports federations thought they needed a significant funding boost just to remain where they are,” said the fan. This statement is somewhat true, as the Dutch authorities do want to make a major cut in sports budgets, according to the NL Times.

Nathan Geurink, a sports researcher from the Mulier Institute, explained to the AD newspaper that sports in the Netherlands are in big trouble because of major budget cuts. According to him, the government is planning to reduce the money it gives to local areas for sports by 10%, with even bigger cuts coming later—like a whopping 3 billion euros less in the future.

And the kicker? The sheer gap between track and field and other sports when it comes to money is jaw-dropping. One fan nailed it: “I find it amazing that baseball player Juan Soto just signed for $51 million a year, golfer Scottie Scheffler made $50 million last year, and a “mere” $2 million can have such an impact on an entire sport. It seems like pocket change for some of the other sports.” It’s a brutal reality check for track and field, which needs some serious changes to avoid becoming a footnote in sports history. Fingers crossed something—or someone—swoops in to save the day because this beautiful sport deserves better.