Athletics in the UK: The Rise and Fall of the BAF

117 Andy Norman In truth, Radford and the BAF were in an impossible position. Whether or not there had been any substance to the allegations made against Andy Norman, he paid the price for years of treating the athletics writers with barely concealed contempt and they seized the chance of hitting back. Had the BAF decided to support Norman and continue his employment, the vendetta against Norman would have continued unabated and could have wreaked untold damage on what was already a weakened sport. Radford, supported by the BAF, took the pragmatic decision to part company with Norman. History will probably judge Andy Norman an enigma. His contribution to British athletics up to the time of his sacking was undoubtedly immense. Almost single handedly, he dragged athletics into the modern era and a generation of British athletic stars credit him with the opportunities they had and the skill with which he guided their careers. But there is an equal number who believe he did as much damage to the sport’s reputation. The financial bonanza of the roughly 10 years from 1985 owes much to his skill in putting together international athletic events in Britain that were the envy of the world. His steamrolling character had much in common with that of IAAF President Primo Nebiolo, an egocentric who was admired and scorned in equal measure but who led the IAAF from relative obscurity to become a world power in international sport. Although he was an essential part of the hierarchy of British athletics, most found Norman difficult to deal with and almost impossible to manage. In all honesty, he was probably unmanageable and therein lay the seeds of his destruction. The story of Andy Norman is essentially a tragedy. It fell to Ian Stewart, Norman’s deputy, to pick up the pieces.