8 Reasons Why I Loved the IAAF World Relays

I am still buzzing over the excitement of the inaugural IAAF Relays.

They did so many things right, and here is my brief list on why Why I loved the IAAF Relay, even if it meant staying up to 10:30pm to 2:00am to watch this live on Eurovision.

Top 8 teams in the 4×100 & 4×400 are automatically qualified for the World Championships
They held the “B” finals for the 4×100 & 4×400, which gives everyone a chance to practice their baton exchanges again!
Teams had to strip off their sweat suits before entering the stadium. No delays. Thank God it’s warm in the Bahamas!
Teams were introduced as they entered the stadium, giving it an entertainment look and feel
The first runner had to rush to get their blocks prepared. Again, no delays.
Only the winning team was allowed to do a quick lap of honor.
The awards ceremonies were immediately after the races, and the winning team had to rush back to the podium. Again, no time to grab your sweat suits or do a cool down. Feed the audience first!
They did not use medals for the top 3, but rather give flowers. I think they should use laurel leaves like the old days, or Boston Marathon. This is good if someone gets DQ’ed for drugs. This way, what are they going to do? Ask to return the flowers?
BONUS #9 – renaming the events to fan friendly names like the two lap race for the 4x200m relay, or the 15 lap race for the 4x1500m!