• Says decision is disheartening
• IAAF last week announced a plan to revamp the Diamond League in 2020
Team Kenya head coach David Letting has asked IAAF President Sebastian Coe to rescind the decision of dropping the 5000 meters from the Diamond League.
Letting said Coe should know better having been a former athlete and two-time Olympic champion in the 1500 meters and should not be party to the decision.
“It's very disheartening; he is killing not only our athletes but also athletes from the continent who have done well in long distance races," he said.
The IAAF last week announced a plan to revamp the Diamond League in 2020, reducing the series to 12 meetings and a finals event. There will be 24 disciplines at each meet -- 12 for men and 12 for women.The 5,000 meters was one of the disciplines to be cut, leaving the 3,000 as the longest race on the schedule. The 10,000 meters was previously dropped from the Diamond League.
Letting said the move is killing the livelihoods of Kenyan athletes.
“We are very shocked with the decision it does not augur well for our athletes and they will be left with nothing to compete," he said.
Letting said most of the upcoming athletes will be left to start running road races at the expense of competing in the track” It will not be good for our a young athletes to start road races at young age thy should be competing on the rack and and in cross country before moving to cross country” added Letting
Athletics Kenya said they will appeal and mobilise African nations to come together in opposition to the IAAF's decision at a meeting of the African track body next month.