Cologne meet cancelled

COLOGNE, APRIL 5The Cologne international athletics Meet, an event where Jesse Owens competed and 13 world records were shattered during its long history, faces a bleak future after it was cancelled on Tuesday because of financial problems.

Organiser Manfred Germar blamed the problems of the financially- strapped meet, which was to be held on August 20, on dwindling attendance and sponsorship money being drained off by the golden league meetings. The series of seven top track meets held around Europe features athletes competing for a share of a million- dollar jackpot.

``Since the golden league was founded, sponsors have mostly signed up for that series. Naturally, they lack the money for meets like ours,'' said Germar. ``In the short term, there's no future for our meet. After all, we need a budget of 2 million Marks (about Rs. 4.20 crore).''

Germar, who has run 28 of the meets, said he would not consider a scaled-down version of the event without the sport's biggest stars, who had also churned out 36 European and 112 German records since the first event was held there in 1934.

``To present a sports event below the standards of previous years is not in our interest,'' said Germar. ``After all, year-after- year we presented the spectators in the stadium and on television the best athletes of their time.''

Fritz Nottbrock, the former German 400 metre hurdles champion, organised the first event and quickly lured some of the world's top athletes, with one highlight - an appearance by Owens in 1936 - the year the American swept to four Olympic gold medals. It has since become the second most prestigious track meet in Germany behind Berlin's Istaf, a member of the golden league.

- AP.

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