Indy500
Simon Pagenaud leads a restart during the 2019 Indianapolis 500. Photo by Stephen King/IndyCar Media
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The Latest on Sports and COVID-19:
Indianapolis 500 To Be Held Without Fans

The coronavirus outbreak has forced difficult decisions for the sports-event industry. Nearly every major sporting event has been canceled, moved or postponed. Here is a look at where things stand. Tuesday, August 4 AUTO RACING: Indianapolis 500 To Be Held Without Fans One of the biggest sporting events in the world will be held without Continue Reading

Posted On : By : Matt Traub
Rich Harshbarger crop
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Rich Harshbarger Steps Down as CEO of Running USA

Rich Harshbarger will step down as CEO of Running USA, effective August 1, 2020. Harshbarger joined the running industry association in 2014. In a letter to members, the Running USA Board of Directors noted that the industry “is facing many challenges, including consolidation, globalization, increased competition, an urgent need to address diversity and inclusion, and Continue Reading

Posted On : By : Jason Gewirtz
HuntsvilleSportsCommission
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Huntsville, Alabama, to Host 2021 NCAA Regional Cross Country Event

The Huntsville Sports Commission will host the 2021 NCAA Division I South Regional Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championship at the new John Hunt Cross Country Running Park in Alabama on November 12, 2021. The University of North Alabama will act as the host school for the event and the city of Huntsville Parks & Continue Reading

Posted On : By : Matt Traub
Guidelines
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Sports Event Guidelines for Post-COVID Competition

As sports at all levels prepare to come back from weeks or months on hiatus, sports organizations are releasing guidelines that can serve as a framework for how to host events safely and successfully. The following are links to various published guidelines across a range of sports that are designed for event organizers to consult Continue Reading

Posted On : By : Jason Gewirtz
Virus Outbreak Golden Gate Woes
The Great American 5000 virtual race, organized by Sports Backers in Richmond, Virginia, will begin in San Francisco and chart a course to New York. Photo: Eric Risberg/AP Images
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Case Study: A Sports Commission Rethinks its Events

The coronavirus pandemic has taken its toll on sports events at all levels. For sports commissions that organize their own events and rely on revenue from those events, the pandemic has been especially hard. That loss of events and revenue has raised a number of questions. When a sports commission exists to create events that Continue Reading

Posted On : By : Jason Gewirtz
Lanzhou Marathon
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World Athletics Forms Outbreak Prevention Task Force

World Athletics will form a task force aimed at providing outbreak prevention guidelines for mass gatherings including road races. The international federation for track and field will partner with the International Institute for Race Medicine on the endeavor. The Outbreak Prevention Taskforce will also include the medical chairs or representatives of the International Cycling Union (UCI), Continue Reading

Posted On : By : Jason Gewirtz
EnduranceCoalition
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Endurance Sports Organizations Form New Coalition

USA Triathlon, Spartan, Tough Mudder, Ironman, Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, Running USA and USA Cycling have formed the Endurance Sports Coalition, bringing together organizers of more than 50,000 events annually to work on securing relief and support for operators of endurance events and supporting industries from Congress and Capitol Hill lawmakers. The Endurance Sports Continue Reading

Posted On : By : Matt Traub
Rich Harshbarger Podcast
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Rich Harshbarger: The Challenges Ahead for Running and Mass Participation Events

While the entire sports-event industry has attempted to navigate the recent weeks of the coronavirus pandemic and plan for some difficult weeks ahead, Running USA has been helping its members work their way through the difficult decisions about whether their events should be canceled or rescheduled. In this episode, Running USA CEO Rich Harshbarger talks Continue Reading

Posted On : By : Jason Gewirtz
KCMarathon
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Industry Leaders Praise Event Ownership Model

Being able to have an event that you own outright is even more important during the uncertain times of the coronavirus pandemic, panelists agreed during a Sports ETA webinar on March 27. “We probably had 15 events that were scheduled in the March-April-May time frame,” said Ray Palmer, president of Pensacola Sports. “Five of those Continue Reading

Posted On : By : Matt Traub