Big Controversy at Sydney Marathon as Organizers Forget Important Duty for Track & Field Community

“We’re now counting down the days to the 2025 TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS, and the 35,000 stories that will be written on Sunday, 31st August. Whether you’re running, volunteering, spectating or watching the coverage, we look forward to bringing you the seventh Abbott World Marathon Major soon!” And with encouraging words, we knew that the Sydney Marathon was not just a small name in track and field anymore. It was a big event—it was the World Major Marathon, and yet that didn’t stop these broadcasting issues.

A track and field fan pointed out on X today that “Flotrack going no commentators for the Sydney Marathon – a WORLD MARATHON MAJOR – is wild.” The reaction is very much valid. The TCS Sydney Marathon officially joined the elite Abbott World Marathon Majors series in 2025, becoming the seventh city and the first in the Southern Hemisphere to be part of this prestigious global circuit. Now, imagine an event of such stature does not have any commentators, and where it did, the reviews have not been good.

Fans pointed out that for viewers outside Sydney, coverage was disappointing. Commentators seemed unfamiliar with athletes, relying on generic notes rather than following the race. Key developments, like the men’s breakaway around 30 km, were missed, and large portions of the women’s race went unnoticed.

Australian runners were barely mentioned, leaving the broadcast disconnected from both local and elite aspects of the event. And this is not just it. Just as the marathon was entering its final 30 minutes and the athletes were starting to break and try to overtake one another, the part where the race began to get interesting was cut to a pre-recorded interview segment featuring Sifan Hassan and Eliud Kipchoge.

Hassan won her debut in 2:18:22, smashing the course record and becoming the first woman under 2:20 in Australia. Meanwhile, marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge finished ninth in 2:08:31, falling behind the leaders after 31 km.  Moreover, this was not the first time a marathon had broadcasting issues.

Marathons and Broadcasting issues

Marathon broadcasts, despite the prestige of the sport, are often criticized for falling short of expectations. Earlier this year, the BBC faced heat from the fans because their broadcast of the London Marathon was glitchy. “The @BBC needs to sort out their coverage of the London Marathon, it’s absolutely dreadful,” one viewer ranted.

The 2021 NYC Marathon broadcast on ESPN2 showed only about half of the actual race action, just 52% of live running, while the rest was filled with commercials, human-interest stories, and non-elite segments. As a result, pivotal moments like Men’s lead breakaways, Bekele falling back, Seidel dropping from the lead, and Korir’s decisive move were either aired belatedly, partially, or not at all. These are only two examples, but they highlight a much deeper problem of how bad the broadcasting scenario is when it comes to Marathons.