CEO blog: A thrilling summer of sport so far
Firstly, on behalf of everyone at England Athletics, I would like to congratulate those athletes who have been selected to represent Team England at this summer’s Commonwealth Games to be held in Glasgow.
You follow in the footsteps of legends who have worn the England vest at these championships in previous years such as England Athletics Hall of Famers Daley Thompson, Paula Radcliffe, Steve Cram, David Weir, Fatima Whitbread, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Linford Christie, and many others.
The competition for places on the athletics team has been fierce, with some outstanding athletes missing out on selection purely down to the high standard but also due to the limited number of places available for team selection in this quite different Commonwealth Games. I am hopeful that a larger England team will be selected for India in 2030.
I'd also like to thank those involved in selecting and leading our team. I know this has not been an easy task and that selections have been debated in detail before final decisions were made. I wish Scott Grace, our Team Leader in Glasgow, and all the support staff including coaches, medical, and administration personnel the very best of success.
Good luck
I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all those athletes competing in this summer’s England Athletics outdoor track and field championship programme the very best of success and enjoyment, and congrats to all those who competed in our opening event, the England U20 and senior track and field and combined events championships, last weekend.
It is fantastic to be able to return to Bedford for our national championships in 2026. Bedford was the home of England Athletics outdoor championships for nearly 20 years and congratulations and thanks must go to our friends at Bedford & County AC, GLL and Bedford Borough Council for their innovation, commitment and investment into our great sport with this wonderful new track provided for our talented athletes to compete at this summer.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our hard-working volunteer Technical Officials and Event Staff, without whom this summer’s programme would not take place and to whom we are deeply grateful for their commitment, focus, and dedication.
I am aware that many of the Technical Officials working in this summer programme have served our sport for numerous years and will be using their experience to help mentor and support newer and less experienced officials coming into our sport. This is hugely important as we look to build a robust and sustainable foundation of volunteering to ensure that generations of athletes can continue to enjoy our wonderfully diverse, and inclusive sport for years to come.
I am very clear that we need to continue to utilise the expertise of those long serving officials to inspire and mentor the next generation coming through, but we also need to continue to review what we expect from our volunteers in the sport and ensure that the education and development pathways are understood, simple to navigate and to access during a time when a lot of people are time-poor and when there is so much pressure on people in general.
Our current strategic review into officiating is important in this context as are our ongoing reviews into competition format, geography, and the overall official and athlete experience at all licensed competitions. The introduction of a new learning management system in late summer 2026 will further enhance the journey for those working their way through the education pathway.
Remembering those we have lost
It would also be amiss of me not to pay tribute to those long serving technical officials and volunteers in our sport who have either retired in recent months or who have sadly passed. It is not easy to list them all here but the likes of Malcom Rogers, Tony Miller, Ivor Wiggett, John Askew and David Ralph have all sadly left us in the early months of 2026, and their memories will endure through the individuals that they supported and influenced during their long service to our sport.
They were, alongside many other individuals, cherished members of the athletics family and will forever be in our memories at England Athletics.
We will also recognise many other selfless individuals at this year`s 2026 Regional Volunteer Award celebrations across the regions from September onwards, culminating in the National event on 21 November. Thank you to those who submitted nominations in this year`s programme. We received nearly 500 nominations across England so this will be another tough selection process!
Partners
I would also like to take the opportunity make a specific mention of both Sport England and London Marathon Events for their ongoing investment in our talent pathway programmes across England and in supporting our summer programme of championships. Many of the athletes you watch compete over this summer will be part of our youth, junior, and senior talent and performance pathway programmes and this championship programme presents an opportunity for them to put into practice all that they would have focused on in training during those previous weeks and months.
I would like to thank our other important sponsors and partners at England Athletics for their continued support to this and other England Athletics activities. Our partners such as Citroën, Kukri, and SportsShoes.com. Commercial sponsorship, alongside income from member clubs, bodies, licensed events, and registered athletes, is vitally important to enabling England Athletics to deliver its strategic priorities and support services to our clubs, athletes, coaches, officials, and runners.
The long and winding road
To all those competing athletes taking part in the England Athletics outdoor track and field championship and international programme this summer - do your very best, that is all you can do. Most importantly, try to enjoy the experience and remember that the journey to fulfilling your potential is often not a linear and straightforward one.
There will inevitably be roadblocks and hurdles to overcome on your way to success, but every experience is a learning opportunity and with it comes the building of resilience, understanding, wisdom, and hopefully improvement.
Many of the current senior England and GB internationals performing in the European Track and Field Champs and Commonwealth Games this summer will have competed in these summer championships and I am sure would acknowledge that there were times when they found it challenging, and that progress stalled due to factors both within and out of their control. Perseverance and keeping a healthy perspective are important during these times, as is having a strong sporting and social support network around you.
I am sure that many of those athletes competing in our programme of summer championships will have their hearts set on being selected for England and GB&NI representative teams this and next year. With a Commonwealth Youth Games taking place in Malta during 2027 and then another Commonwealth Games being hosted in India in 2030, the anticipation and excitement amongst these young aspiring athletes will be high, and we wish you all the very best as athletes work towards fulfilling their dreams.
Thanks once again to everything that you do for our great sport in whatever guise. 2026 has already seen a number of fantastic individual and collective team performances both on and off the track across England and on the international stage. The new age groups for competition were introduced across the UK on 1 April this year and I would also like to take this opportunity to thank those forward thinking volunteer leaders on league, association, club and championship organising committees across England who have demonstrated great leadership by embracing the age group changes and for proactively taking steps to put the athlete, the coach, the technical official, and the parent/carer at the heart of their decision making.
Chris Jones
CEO