USA Track keeps national champ off Worlds roster over shoe deal?
Middle distance runner Nick Symmonds will be watching the world championships in Beijing from the sideline after being left off the U.S. squad over a uniform squabble.
The defending world runner-up at 800 meters refused to sign a contract that USA Track and Field requires all athletes to sign to be named to the team. When the official list came out Monday, Symmonds wasn't on it despite his win at U.S. championships in June.
For Symmonds, the issue is Nike's standing as USATF's official uniform sponsor. Anyone going to China later this month on the U.S. team is required to wear Nike gear at team functions. Symmonds is sponsored by a rival shoe company, Brooks, and wanted it clearly spelled out what constitutes a team function.
On his Twitter account, Symmonds recently posted: "Proud to have stood my ground and fought another battle for athletes' rights."
Except for the exclusion of Symmonds, there were no real surprises. There are five defending world champions on the U.S. squad, including Ashton Eaton (decathlon), LaShawn Merritt (400 meters), David Oliver (hurdles), Brittney Reese (long jump) and Brianna Rollins (hurdles). Big names such as Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Allyson Felix are also on the team.
Taking the place of Symmonds in the 800 is Clayton Murphy, who finished fourth at nationals. The top three in each event earn a spot to worlds.
The 31-year-old Symmonds is known for taking a stance on social and business issues that surround what he believes is a widely corrupt world of track and field. He indicated he couldn't sit idly by on this topic, believing that giving Nike so much power on what athletes can and can't wear at events such as worlds and the Olympics may hinder sponsorship deals down the road.
"We have to wear Team USA kit at all official Team USA functions, which is fine. I'm fine with it," Symmonds said in a phone conversation Sunday night. "The problem is they never define what a Team USA function is. They do that almost on purpose so they can call anything a Team USA function."
USATF issued a statement Monday saying, "We respect Nick's decision not to represent the United States at the IAAF World Championships. The statement of conditions is part of USATF's governance documents, and its requirements are common in professional, Olympic and National Team sports, both domestically and internationally.
"We look forward to continuing to expand our programs for athletes, and we hope to see Nick on future National Teams."
Symmonds was a Nike-sponsored athlete for around seven years before switching over to Brooks on Jan. 1, 2014. He did so because, "I needed a company that could work with me and match my personality a little bit better," Symmonds said.
He won the 800 at the national championships in June, finishing in a time of 1 minute, 44.53 seconds. Symonds decided to skip lucrative competitions in Europe to concentrate on his training in Seattle, in order to be in prime shape for Beijing. He felt like he was possibly even in better condition than when he earned silver at the 2013 world championships in Moscow.
"I want to apologize to the fans who want to see me run," Symmonds said. "I just feel that I can't go out there and put on that Team USA jersey and feel good about it, while all the athletes are being mercilessly bullied and threatened by USATF at the same time.
"It's not enjoyable anymore. When I was younger, I could ignore it. I just can't ignore it anymore."
