Kipruto irked by Diamond League changes

Olympic and double World 3000m steeplechase champion Conseslus Kipruto has urged IAAF to reconsider the removal of the 3000m steeplechase race from the 2020 Diamond League calendar.

In the new changes effected by IAAF yesterday, steeplechase and three other events – discus, triple jump and 200m- have been excluded in next years calendar for both male and female categories.

The world athletics governing body announced that while the above events will not be entitled to a 90-minute broadcast window of the Diamond League both the 200m and the 3000m steeplechase will be included in 10 meetings (5 male and 5 female) in the 2020 Diamond League season, including Oslo, Rome, and Doha.

Moreover, the four events will not feature in next season’s Diamond League finals.

According to Kipruto, the move to scrap the event from the calendar is uncalled for and thus the athlete has called on IAAF to reconsider the effected changes.

“I woke up to news in social media that the race (3000m steeplechase) has been excluded from the Diamond League. Of course, I was shocked because they are being unfair to us maybe because we have been dominating for ages,” said Kipruto.

The move comes barely eight months after IAAF scrapped the 5000m event out of the 2020 calendar and Kipruto now wants crunch talks to be held in a bid to salvage other races from being excluded from the lucrative Diamond League.

“I call upon all athletics stakeholders in this country including the ministry of Sports and Athletics Kenya to convene a meeting so that we can find  a way forward because if we continue on this path then you might be surprised another event will also be scrapped from the Diamond League,” added Kipruto.

To justify their action, IAAF revealed that they conducted online research carried in China, France, South Africa and the USA; post event surveys in Belgium, Great Britain and Switzerland which ranked the affected events among the least popular disciplines at the Diamond League.

While the removal of the 5000m from the calendar earlier this year sparked fury from East African nations notably Kenya and Ethiopia, IAAF held onto its decision.

Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei is yet to reveal the federations next course of action even has he registered his displeasure with the turn of events.

“We are disappointed. We shall however follow it up,” Tuwei told Citizen Digital.