‘Maybe some things need to change’

WORLD 1,500 metres champion Josh Kerr concedes athletics’ entertainment value has “fallen behind” other sports, writes

The 26-year-old Scot stunned overwhelming favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen at August’s World Championships and now has his sights set on upgrading his Tokyo 2020 bronze at this summer’s Olympics in Paris.

Many remain concerned that athletics is falling out of favour with the British public, an issue exacerbated by broadcast and sponsorship challenges and backed by evidence suggesting younger audiences are looking elsewhere.

Kerr told the PA news agency: “I would say we are doing what we can in terms of entertainment from an athlete’s perspective.

“We’re trying to create more rivalries. We’re trying to create more storylines, which I think we are doing better at, but we are a little bit behind other sports.

“A lot of it is about TV deals but I don’t really have much say or much knowledge of what’s going on behind the scenes.

“If I’m allowed to be in any of those meetings maybe I can have more of a say, but right now I’m going to keep trying to make entertaining races and hopefully get good build-up and make people watch.

“That’s the best I can do right now. I’m not complaining about the viewership of our sport.

“I think sometimes you get what you deserve in terms of viewership, and if our sport isn’t exciting enough maybe some things need to change.”

UK Athletics (UKA) lost Muller, their title sponsor, in 2022 and failed to renegotiate a reported £3million-a-year broadcast deal with the BBC when it expired in 2020. UKA has since secured shorter, multi-platform deals with the broadcaster, including its 2023 major events series, while the BBC in 2021 extended its agreement with World Athletics for five more world championships and also holds the rights to the Paris Olympics and Diamond League through 2024.

Some competitions have been shown live on BBC TV, but others have featured only on iPlayer, Red Button or the BBC’s website and app, sparking fears that a lack of visibility will contribute to a decline in athletics’ relevance.