Charles van Commenee to stand down as head of UK Athletics after Team GB failed to hit London 2012 target
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Charles van Commenee is to step down as UK Athletics head coach after the team failed to meet his own medal target at the London Olympics.
The 54-year-old Dutchman will leave the organisation when his contract expires in December and it is understood UK Athletics will announce his successor later this week.
Van Commenee had set a target of at least eight medals including a minimum of one gold but the team fell two short - though four of the six medals were gold.
UK Athletics were prepared to give Van Commenee a new deal but he decided to remain true to his own promise to quit if the target was not met.
The jubilation of the golds for Jessica Ennis, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah's double camouflaged the fact that there were a number of disappointments in track and field.
Immediately after the Olympics, Van Commenee said it was "weird" that people still wanted him to stay despite not making the target and agreed he would be undermined by his previous pledge if he stayed in his post.
He said then: "That was the whole point of what I said before. Credibility is a big thing for somebody leading a programme."
Van Commenee arrived in 2009 with a reputation for tough-talking and certainly lived up to that leading to several clashes with athletes, notably with Phillips Idowu over the triple jumper's use of Twitter.
PA
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments