UK Athletics may not be able to afford to stage meetings involving the world’s best athletes in this country when the BBC’s TV rights deal expires. The Times revealed this week that the BBC is not planning to renew its present deal with UKA, which ends after next month’s British Athletics Championships in Manchester and is worth £2.3 million a year to the governing body. Without significant funds from a broadcaster, UKA simply could not afford to stage its two Diamond League events. UKA stages the Müller Anniversary Games in London and an event in Gateshead — both of which were cancelled this year because of the pandemic — and insiders have suggested that the cost of fees and expenses for the athletes alone would

Source: The Times August 14, 2020 23:15 UTC