Ricketts still wary of play-off format in Diamond League

While pleased at the decision to restore all 32 disciplines for the 2021 Diamond League season, track and field coach Kerry Lee Ricketts is still wary of the decision to keep the play-off format for the field events.

Last Friday, World Athletics announced that all 32 events will have their finals reinstated for the upcoming season. The 200m, triple jump, discus, 3000m steeplechase and 5000m events were removed from the Diamond League finals as part of changes to the 2020 season. Additionally, a play-off format pilot for the long jump called the Final Three was launched this year. Both initiatives were met with widespread criticism from athletes globally.

The "Final Three' format will be extended to other field events such as javelin, discus, shot put, long jump and triple jump. Ricketts, who coaches World Championship silver medallist triple jumper Shanieka Ricketts, says that while he prefers all field events to return to their previous structures, he still has concerns on the format.

"That is still something that the athletes themselves and us coaches disapprove but at the same time if I was a triple jumper, I'd rather be at the Diamond League final," Ricketts told STAR Sports. "I'd rather have the opportunity to compete for a Diamond League [title]."

The play-off format consists of a qualifying round and the top three competitors battle each other in a playoff-style format ignoring previous distances. The criticism was fierce from athletes claiming that it would tarnish the integrity of the competition. But Ricketts says that he will take a wait-and-see approach for next season.

"Maybe it's something that they experiment with. So, let's see how it works out," he said.

In a statement released by The Athletics Association, the independent athlete's union last Friday, a working group would be formed with Diamond League stakeholders to evaluate the format for 2021 and committed to continue discussions with stakeholders in how the on-field product could be improved.

"We look forward to working together in the coming year to evaluate this format against our shared goal of presenting the sport at its best for both audience and athlete," he continued.

The 2021 season is scheduled to have 13 events which will culminate in the Diamond League Final in Zurich, Switzerland, with a revised total pay structure of US$7 million.