REGARDLESS of who?s right and who?s wrong, the decision this week by Boston-based sports agency Marathon Tours to sever their 27-year association with Race Weekend represents another crushing blow to an event which had already seen its stature on the international running calendar slowly but surely eroded.

Back in the 1980s and even the early ?90s, Bermuda?s January race festival was considered among the best anywhere in the world. It attracted world class runners who turned in world class performances.

And their presence in turn lured hundreds of recreational athletes from three or four continents, all wanting to be a part of an event which had built a reputation as one of the best organised and most enjoyable in which to compete.

For many of those visitors, it wasn?t just about running. The opportunity to meet up with old friends, make new friends, and enjoy a number of social activities made it a vacation to remember ? in some ways similar to what is now the World Rugby Classic.

Indeed, Marathon Tours chief Thom Gilligan, whose decision it was this week to cut Bermuda out of his agency?s itinerary ? he?s been bringing 300 runners and more from the East Coast and beyond almost since the Weekend first began ? met his wife here more than 20 years ago.

Given Thom?s affection for Bermuda and the Bermudian friendships he?s maintained over the years, it won?t have been a decision taken lightly.

Yet, over and above his allegations that both the organising Bermuda Track and Field Association and Department of Tourism have been uncooperative and difficult to deal with ? accusations vehemently denied by both of those bodies ? he, like many others, will have realised that Race Weekend simply isn?t what it used to be.

A reversal in the worldwide road running boom clearly accounts for a drop in the number of entries ? although major races elsewhere in the world, the Boston, Chicago, London and New York Marathons for instance, remain as popular as ever.

But if it weren?t for the hundreds of charity walkers who now make up the bulk of of International Race Weekend, then it would hardly be considered an event of any significance.

Added to the drop-off in overseas numbers has been the decline in local running?s popularity ? and we all know who?s to blame for that!

There was a time when the likes of class runners such as Ray Swan, Cal Bean, Leon Matthews, Jeff Payne, Peter Lever, Debbie Butterfield, Merernette Bean, Sandra Mewett and many more made the battle for local honours almost as intriguing as that among the elite runners from abroad.

But that?s another story.

Hopefully KPMG?s decision to sponsor a Front Street Mile which has also lost much of its lustre in recent years, will help reinvigorate that series ? although the company have declined to say exactly how much cash they intend to pump into event.

Tourism Minister Ewart Brown remained insistent this week that, despite Marathon Tours? withdrawal, the January showpiece was high on his department?s priority list.

It?s clear, however, that to rebuild the event?s prominence on the international calendar, much more than money is required.

While we?ve seen some terrific performances from international runners over the years, it was the sheer volume of entrants that made the festival such a spectacle back in its heyday.

With the Boston contingent joining those who have chosen to take their running shoes ? and hard-earned cash ? to alternative races around the globe, the BTFA and Tourism need to think long and hard about how they can reinvent the Weekend.

New ideas are required, perhaps new faces on the organising committee and ? if Gilligan?s complaints are to be believed ? a new attitude towards our overseas guests.

NOT everybody will have agreed with the punishments handed out by Bermuda Cricket Board this week to the so-called Cup Match rebels ? George O?Brien, Stephen Outerbridge and Herbie Bascome.

All three were put on probation and Bascome dismissed from his role as Under-19 coach.

Some will say the Board didn?t go far enough, others might argue they were too severe.

But hopefully, at the very least, a message will have been sent out that no individual?s bigger than the game, and no game in Bermuda?s bigger than Cup Match.

A game of such historical importance deserves far more respect than it was afforded by any of the players this year.

Perhaps the most significant stance taken by the BCB was their announcement that in future a committee made up of members of both clubs as well as the Board will oversee the running of the annual classic. It?s a decision long overdue.

The event needs to be regulated and rules put in place. And a committee with any backbone can ensure that they?re rigorously enforced.