Sporting chance

I was interested to read that our Scotland’s sports minister Shona Robison foresees no problem in Scotland providing an Olympic team (your report, 19 September).

I would recommend that she studiesPower of Ten Athletics Rankings with special reference to male and female events included in next year’s Commonwealth Games.

Each event gives the criteria required in order to qualify to represent Scotland and, I think she will find, that Scottish men only qualify in 50 per cent of the events with the women doing better at just under 75 per cent.

This is with relatively lenient qualifying standards.

If we considered last year’s standards for the Olympics, the numbers would be drastically reduced.

It is a sad reflection on the current state of Scottish athletics – where are the replacements for the Stewarts, McColgans, Murrays, Wellses, Clements, Blacks, Ritchies to name but a few, of yesteryear?

William S Gentleman

Masters Athletics Commonwealth and World gold medallist; former coach to Yvonne Murray, senior endurance and field official; official at the 2014 Commonwealth Games

Craiglockhart Terrace

Edinburgh