Over the past half century, professionalism has slowly engulfed athletics.

It was once the bastion of amateurism, but now Usain Bolt pockets upwards of $250,000 (£157,000) in appearance fees per competition as the face of the sport.

Next month’s New York City Marathon now guarantees $800,000 (£504,000) in prize money along with additional appearance fees and bonuses.

The world’s other top marathons hover in the same territory, with the Dubai event entering seven-figure territory.

However, not every sport is rolling in money.

The hammer throw has been left behind - that became painfully clear this summer.

As the stars of track and field earned tens of thousands of dollars in front of internationally-televised audiences on the Diamond League circuit, the world’s best hammer throwers were fighting it out to win $2,000 (£1,260) first place prizes in front of a few hundred fans.

And, unlike other track and field disciplines, the hammer was left out of both the new Diamond League and the IAAF’s World Challenge series.

In the alternative, the IAAF set up a makeshift series of competitions for hammer throwers offering $200,000 (£126,000) for the entire season - an amount that totals less than half the prize money of a single Diamond League meeting.

Olympic hammer throw finalists must continue to be amateurs in many ways, and are often forced to schedule time off of work to attend competitions or navigate the politics of their national federation to secure supplemental funding.

While the Diamond League snub was a wake up call to hammer throwers, it was hardly the beginning of the event’s troubles.

As professionalism has grown in athletics, marginal events have been pushed to the side to increase marketability.

Due to time constraints, the decathlon has long been excluded from the grand prix circuit.

Non-stadia events such as the marathon and race walk have had their own established circuits.

More recently, the 10,000 metres run has begun to disappear as the 30-minute long competition often lacks real action and drama until the final laps.

This year, only a handful of elite 10,000m races took place and the world’s best time was produced on the roads, an unheard of state of affairs. (Luckily, most elite 10,000m runners do not struggle for money as they are often competitive at shorter or longer distances as well.)

The rationale for alienating the hammer throw is not so simple.

A handful of reasons are trotted out to explain its decline.

In its Diamond League press release, the IAAF cited "infrastructure" reasons.

While no clarification was provided, it likely meant that: (1) there was not enough time in the schedule to include all the throwing events; (2) that the powerful football clubs have been complaining more about field divots caused by the hammer; and (3) combined with potential safety concerns the hammer throw was the odd one out.

Each of these concerns can often be explained away.

Others list the reason as the lack of stars in Western Europe, but the same is true in the 100m and distance races that still remain wildly popular at the top meetings.

Or perhaps the cause is a decline in youth participation?

But the same problem exists in America where youth participation has more than doubled in the past decade.

Whatever the cause, it is clear the event no longer has the political power required to get the support of the sport’s decision makers.

In order to get the event featured, hammer throwers must show how they can help athletics grow.

In this regard, the hammer throw could learn from its sibling, the shot put.

This could likely have been in the same position, but the event’s mobility has had the opposite effect.

The shot only requires 25m of open space and a concrete circle so it is a perfect marketing tool for the sport.

This season, the event has been paraded as a pre-meet outreach tool for the Diamond League with headline competitions taking place in Stockholm’s city centre and the Zurich main train station.

Add in some energising world class stars and you get a memorable impression that leaves meets hosting the shot put even when it is not in their scheduled programme.



While the hammer throw is not as mobile, it also has some unique offerings.

Chiefly, it is a mesmerising event to watch.

The combination of raw power, rhythm and balletic grace shown by the world’s best is truly a spectacle to watch in person.

I train next to a large football practice facility in Zurich and every day a handful of young footballers will stop to watch the hammer, often asking questions or wanting to pick up the implement.

The discus throwers at my club rarely get that much attention.

The problem is, without having the event at big meets, people don’t see it and demand it at future competitions, creating a catch-22.

It is up to the event to get the ball rolling and introduce more and more people to the hammer throw on its own.

It is not easy, but can be done on a grassroots scale.

It definitely helps that some of the best women of all time are producing world records every year and the most entertaining head-to-head battles in our sport.

The fact that the athletics bigwigs couldn’t care less about the hammer throw may be to its advantage, allowing it to showcase what it wants and develop its own plan.

Mary Wittenberg, director of the New York City Marathon and CEO of the New York Road Runners, felt that this was actually the key to her marathon’s success when she told RunnersWorld.com last week: "Track and field historically was never very interested in road running, and that’s what allowed road running to explode on its own.

"So I think you could argue that has been a good thing.

"The decentralisation allowed many races to bloom and grow.

"Now I hope we can pool our common dreams while respecting all the owners of races and programs at all the different levels."

There are already some great throws-only competitions out there.

For instance, a German meeting in the small town of Fränkisch-Crumbach draws huge crowds and the world’s best throwers every year just to watch the hammer throw.

These events are the type that will push our sport forward.

Organising and coordinating similar efforts across Europe and the globe will be the next step to recovery.

Martin Bingisser is the current Swiss champion in the hammer throw and serves as President of the Evergreen Athletic Fund, an organisation that promotes the throwing events through its network of websites and by financially supporting elite athletes.  In addition, he regularly writes about athletics, training, and the hammer throw on his website www.mbingisser.com