Athletics with Attitude is the strapline to a new event taking place in Glasgow tomorrow and which promises to create a new audience for the sport.
Ireland is right at the heart of it with a team of nine male and nine female athletes taking on others from Scotland, England, Wales, Spain and Turkey across 11 track and field events to gather points to decide their position going into the decider event “The Hunt”.
There are 11 events altogether, ranging from shot putt to a 4×400 metre mixed relay with every place counting towards a final total.
The reason for the new format is to counter what is seen as a real threat to the future popularity of the sport.
Research undertaken by the promoters show that the viewing demographic for traditional athletics is twice as high for those over 35 as under that threshold.
“DNA is a 21st Century way to enjoy the sport we love,” says the promotional material.
The team element is one that is similar to the impact that the Ryder Cup in golf has on competitors and audiences alike and it will be interesting to see what kind of traction the event gathers.
The Final deciding event is a medley relay of 800, 600, 400 and 200 metres with two men and two women from each of the competing countries.
The Irish team has a blend of youth and experience, and won’t lack for speed in the sprint events with recent record breakers Israel Olatunde and Molly Scott set to spearhead the Irish challenge.
Galway City Harriers pair of Cillín Greene and Robert McDonnell will be looking to use their Olympic momentum to put a strong looking mixed 4x400m team which includes Catherine McManus and Rachel McCann into the places.
The event will be streamed live around the world on Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and on the YouTube channel below.
