UK Athletics in crisis after TWO chiefs quit

UK ATHLETICS has plummeted to a new low with the dramatic resignations of CEO Joanna Coates and performance director Sara Symington.

Sportsmail understands Coates walked out of the crisis-hit organisation following her participation in a fiery board meeting on Wednesday.

Coates, the former chief of England Netball, departs after less than two tumultuous years in the post. Following her appointment in March 2020, her reign has been plagued by in-fighting and characterised by unpopular decisions.

The recruitment of Symington, who will now take up a role as head of the Olympic and Paralympic Programme for British Cycling, has been maligned in the sport, with Symington hugely criticised for holding such a significant role despite not having a background in athletics.

That was followed by the decision to bring in the inexperienced Christian Malcolm as head coach ahead of the stronglyfavoured Stephen Maguire.

The boiling point came at last month’s Diamond League final in Zurich, when a number of Britain’s leading athletes told World Athletics president Sebastian Coe in the Crowne Plaza hotel that the current set-up was not fit for purpose.

As revealed by Sportsmail, they expressed significant misgivings about the performance structure on the back of Britain’s worst Olympics since 1996, and shared concerns about the wider governance during the Coates era.

While Coates (below) had a number of powerful enemies in the sport, there will be sympathy for her within some elements of track and field, given she inherited the organisation in a shambolic state.

However, her critics will point to a series of major decisions with questionable outcomes — including the failure to renew their lucrative BBC deal, which continues to leave UKA struggling financially.

Giving up a Diamond League slot in Gateshead has also been hammered, along with the key personnel appointments of Symington and Malcolm, and departure of highly-respected events boss Cherry Alexander. Prominent sources in athletics have speculated to Sportsmail that the new chairman Ian Beattie, who only started in the post yesterday, might turn to Maguire to fill Symington’s role.

If they can persuade their former relays guru to come back, it will be seen as a progressive move after losing him to Sport Ireland.

There will also be a clamour for former Olympic runner Jack Buckner to be poached as CEO after his immense success in charge of British Swimming. In the interim period, current development director Mark Munro will take charge.