The current position is really crippling our sport

The current position is really crippling our sport

A three-part inquiry into the politics of best track and field athletics by KVAL Sports airs on KVAL 13 TV News at 6 starting on Monday, Nov. 21.

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - U.S. champion Nick Symmonds runs in and has won debatably the toughest race in track and field: the 800 meters.

Off the track, Symmonds is now fighting what could be a trailing battle. "The current position is really crippling our sport, track and field," Symmonds told KVAL sports.

The Willamette University graduate and current Springfield resident said the International Associations of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and United States Track & Field are doing more harm than good with their current logo rules. Symmonds believes these systems are the largest problem with the sport today.

"What I'd like to see is the policy changed so that athletes are permissible to have multiple sponsors displayed on their skin, displayed on the back of their jerseys," said Symmonds. "Just change the rules to permit more corporate dollars to flow into the sport."

Symmonds at first voiced his strong opinions on the logo policy compulsory by the IAAF and USATF in a blog post on flotrack.org on Oct. 3.

"As it is now meet sponsors work through the IAAF and USATF," said Symmonds. "The governing bodies take their share and let what's left trickle down to the athletes in the form of prize money. I appreciate that these governing bodies need to take a cut in order to keep operating, but it's gone beyond that. It's gotten to the point where people are taking benefit of the athletes and taking much more than their share of the pie."

Symmonds feels that allow athletes to display more finance logos mean more income for the athletes. The current IAAF policy state:

IAAF Advertising Regulations:

3.1.1.2 Any other Advertising on or by or otherwise related with an Athlete is prohibited, including but not incomplete to body painting, tattoos, jewelery, hair dying, hair shaving, the use of any flags, banners, T-shirts, hats and any other form of display of Advertising.

3.1.1.3 No advertising or display of Sponsors of the Athletes in the form of "an Athlete x sponsored by company y" or similar may be display or appear on the Athletes or or else in the Competition Site.

So who's really behind this policy? The IAAF - or the shoe companies that may not want other corporations advertise with their athletes at events?

"Let's say I'm sponsored by company X, and company X gives me my uniform, they might not want other logos obscure their apparel," said USATF spokesperson Jill Geer. "So, there’s not just the international rule, but also there are each individual apparel manufacturer as well."

"There are all sorts of sponsors for IAAF," said 2011 USA men's World Championship team coach Vin Lananna. "So, I don't recognize if just the shoe companies alone would have the juice to be able to stop or stop something that made intellect for the athletes."

"To a sure extent I imagine the clothing manufacturer enjoys having their logo as the only one on a jersey, but even their logos, Nike's swoosh for example, has extreme limits of where it can be placed and how it can be displayed. These limits come from USATF and IAAF and they're absurd as well."