UK Athletics axes performance director Collins
Monday, 01 Sep 2008 13:47
Dave Collins will not have his contract renewed by UK Athletics
Dave Collins has been told he will not be continuing as UK Athletics performance director when his existing contract expires in March 2009.
Collins, who has held the post since 2004, oversaw the preparations of the Great Britain team for the Olympic Games in Beijing, which were the most successful in terms of medals for a century.
However, despite collecting several medals in various non-athletics disciplines such as cycling, rowing, sailing and swimming, the track and field athletes delivered only five medals in total - with Christine Ohuruogu claiming the only gold in the women's 400m.
The chairman of UK Athletics, Ed Warner, said Collins would leave "a valuable and lasting legacy to elite athletics in the UK" through his overhauling of the structure of the sport through the institution of high performance centres.
UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos added: "I would like to place on record my thanks to Dave for his contribution to the sport over the last four years.
"He has led a radical overhaul of our performance systems which will provide solid foundations on which we can now build to ensure athletics fully meets the challenges of 2012 and beyond.
"Our planning for this next Olympic cycle got underway several months ago and this decision and any subsequent appointment is the culmination of this detailed process.
"It certainly is not a negative reflection on what has gone before, on the contrary there is no doubt we have made progress since 2004.
"However, we now need to take the next step on the performance ladder and give ourselves and British athletes the very best chance of success at a home Games in 2012."
Collins himself said he is "proud" of his achievements within the athletics framework in the UK, adding: "We now have the majority of our athletes operating out of four high performance centres surrounded by high quality and dedicated support teams.
"This will enable the sport to move towards greater success in 2012."
An announcement on Collins' successor is "expected shortly", UK Athletics said.
Former Olympic champion Steve Ovett has already declared his interest in the role.