‘Plenty focus is given over to a tremendous summer of athletics for Scottish athletes throughout the new edition of PB magazine.
‘But good for us to reflect on that here, too.
‘Congratulations firstly to all the athletes that have represented Scotland and/or GB and NI across recent months.
‘Not only did we have athletes showcasing their ability on the world stage at the Olympics and Paralympics but we’ve had athletes on the track and in the field in Bahamas, Japan, Italy, Sweden, Slovakia, Peru and England.
‘Also, on the roads and in the hills in France, Portugal, Italy, Wales and Northern Ireland.
‘Having an Olympics and Paralympics in Europe always adds an edge of excitement with the opportunity to follow the action in real-time significantly adding to the buzz at home, in work, online or at the track.
‘It is fair to say that the Scottish athletes in the GB and NI team gave us some memorable moments and we’re so proud of them all.
#SALtogether is a tag line often used by scottishathletics and following the international action over the summer provides a great demonstration online of what this means.
‘There was an emotional send off for Megan Keith in Inverness from the athletes, coaches and parents at the club. Their first ever Olympian!
‘There was a club night in Giffnock to watch Neil Gourley in action, and appearances from the BBC at Edinburgh AC and Balwearie High School to follow reactions live to the 1500m finals featuring Josh Kerr and Ben Sandilands respectively.
‘Memorably for the young athletes at Edinburgh AC there was also a post-Olympics visit from Josh to show his Olympic medal and speak to the athletes.
‘The bond between performance and grassroots is not something you get in every sport and we are grateful that these connections are strong in athletics.
‘The athletes, coaches, Officials and volunteers throughout the country take joy in the success of those athletes and likewise these athletes often acknowledge their grounding in Scotland and the importance of the role that everyone plays in our sport.
‘Domestically, the summer season takes a tremendous effort from everyone in the sport to organise training, plan and attend competitions, deliver competitions and all at the same time as keeping the day-to-day operations of our clubs and sport ticking along.
‘To thrive, our sport needs quality facilities to meet our requirements in track and field and beyond.
‘The wider public finances continue to present a challenge for our sport and no bigger than at Grangemouth Stadium which is a key facility for national competition.
‘Led by scottishathletics and the local clubs, discussions continue to present a viable solution to keep Grangemouth Stadium operating.
‘As we move from the summer into autumn and the start of the cross-country season it is also the time of year when we host the Annual General Meeting for our members and the 4J Studios scottishathletics Annual Awards.
‘The 4J Awards present the opportunity for the athletics community in Scotland to recognise those that have delivered outstanding contributions to the sport in 2024 and over several years through our Honorary Life Memberships.
‘For the 4J Awards themselves we have received 76 nominations for athletics alone which is one of the biggest responses we have ever had. Thank you for letting us hear your voice.
Congratulations to all those that have been nominated for an Award and good luck !
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Colin Hutchison
