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

17 The Turner Committee demonstrated to us...” . Had they forgotten that the remit of the committee, carefully drafted by McAllister’s own General Committee, was “ to seek ways to implement the resolution that Athletics in the United Kingdom be administered by a single governing body”? The Turner committee was working on the assumption that the merits of the argument had already been accepted. But, then, McAllister, Martell and Farrell were expressing only their personal views, weren’t they? The final report of the committee was signed off in November 1983 and made 13 principal recommendations of which the five key ones were: No.1. That a United Kingdom Amateur Athletic Association (UKAAA) shall be formed as “the only national governing body for all amateur athletics” in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. No.2. That the UKAAA shall be formed by means of an agreement by the Member Associations of the BAAB, to dissolve the BAAB and to transfer the right of affiliation to the IAAF from the Board to the UKAAA. No.9. That the AAA shall amend its constitution so as to redefine its area of responsibility as extending exclusively to England. No.10. That the Welsh AAA shall become independent of the AAA and wholly responsible for all matters affecting the administration of athletics in Wales. No.13. That the men‟s and women‟s Associations in each of the four home countries shall be encouraged to amalgamate. There had been some discussion about what to call the new body and it was decided to opt for United Kingdom AAA , recognising the historical significance of the three letters AAA and also to be consistent with the names of the constituent home countries and regions. The report itself discussed the potential benefits that would flow from a streamlining of the sport, the conclusions of the consultation