Brands v country - Kerr ramps up kit battle after latest victory
Josh Kerr celebrated becoming Great Britain's first Ultimate Champion by making a clear point about funding in athletics - BBC Sport explains what the issue is.
Great Britain's Josh Kerr, now the inaugural Ultimate Champion in the 1500m, made headlines after the event by obscuring the Nike logo on his Great Britain kit. The 28-year-old athlete concealed the sponsor's branding by wrapping his Brooks-branded running spikes over the Nike emblem, drawing attention to his personal sponsor instead of his nation.
Kerr, speaking to BBC Sport, explained that this move aimed to allow athletes to represent their own brands versus their country, a distinction that is currently lacking due to the lack of funding and paychecks in athletics. While Kerr takes pride in representing Great Britain and the gold medals he has won, including a bronze in 2020 and silver in 2024, he highlighted that athletes do not receive the financial rewards that other sports do.
The Ultimate Championship, a new biennial event run by World Athletics, is designed to showcase top athletes and offer individual events without a country medal table. Kerr's comments shed light on the financial disparity between athletes and the brands that sponsor them, as athletes rely heavily on personal sponsorships and endorsements to earn a living.
The current funding structure, mainly provided by UK Sport, falls short of what other sports offer, making the battle between brands and country a relevant and ongoing issue in athletics.
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