The 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships have made history by hosting 1700 athletes for the time since their inception 38 years ago. However, the track and field fans were disappointed after a lackluster first day of competition. While athletes such as Medina Eisa set championship records in the U20 5000m title and Alana Reid became the fifth Jamaican woman to win the 100m in the U20 World Championships, there was barely anyone in attendance to watch history being made at Lima 2024!

However, the lack of people in the stadium to support the young athletes was only the start of the issue. People watching from home complained about the bland commentary that failed to evoke a sense of passion or emotion. Unfortunately, things didn’t improve on day 2. “The commentary at the World U20 Champs is seriously making me fall asleep,” posted track and field pundit Owen M on X.

“No energy, no passion, and these silent gaps in between,” the netizen wrote while commenting on the commentary. Track and field analysts who cover an event often fill the gaps devoid of action with insightful anecdotes. Whether it’s never-before-heard information about an athlete or a quick tidbit about the venue, commentators always keep the viewer glued to the screen.

However, even the most dedicated fans found it hard to cope with the dull commentary alongside the empty stands. The netizen who posted about the commentary on day two had already pointed it out on the first day at Lima 2024. “I’d like to see some more energy… I know I’m asking A LOT but liven up. It keeps us fans even more engaged.” Owen mentioned with a sarcastic hint.

However, despite his initial disappointment, the track and field enthusiast must have switched to the live stream, hoping for better results on day two. Yet he was met with nothing more than further disappointment. In the fan’s second post about the unexciting announcement at Lima 2024, even more people agreed with him.

“It’s absolutely terrible!” commented a fellow netizen who switched on the livestream to watch the athletes from 150 countries compete in a historic U20 championship. Meanwhile, others couldn’t believe how such an important international event could make such a mistake.

The track and field community couldn’t believe their ears!

Keeping the audience engaged with the play-by-play while providing exciting insights is no easy task. The fact that viewers witnessed some of the best commentaries they’ll hear this year at the Paris Olympics didn’t make the Lima announcers’ jobs any easier. Yet many fans expected the U20 World Championships to do better. “No nothing, and to think I was excited for it. Sigh,” a fan wrote.

Another netizen narrated how they’d hoped to rely on some exciting commentary to help them in their late-night streaming session. Unfortunately, the tracks and field enthusiasts found no such relief. “I was literally fighting sleep and it’s 2 am in South Africa now, so they were not helping me at 1 am.” wrote a fan after giving up on watching the bland live broadcast.

However, most sports enthusiasts didn’t need the U20 world championships to live up to Olympic standards. “Euro U18s commentating was way better!” wrote a user about the FIBA U18 EuroBasket which ran alongside the Paris 2024 and concluded on August 4. Meanwhile, another track and field fan theorized whether the better commentators were getting ready for another upcoming gig.

“I imagine the better commentators are at the Paralympics,” commented the x-user. The 2024 Paris Paralympics are underway, and events are set to begin today. So it seems that Lima 2024 will find it even more difficult to retain its viewership. Unfortunately, even the most dedicated track and field fans like Owen may give up on the five-day event in favor of the Paralympics unless the commentators inject some much-needed soul into the live broadcast.