LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) – As Usain Bolt parties in London, around 30 Olympic medalists including nine champions have headed to Switzerland for the first major track and field meeting since the Rio de Janeiro Games.
Still, none are named Bolt – now being photographed daily outside nightclubs by British paparazzi – and without the sport’s biggest star there are unsold tickets for the Athletissima meet in the Diamond League series.
Bolt’s absence lets fellow Jamaican sprint gold medalists Elaine Thompson and Omar McLeod take center stage at the 14,000-capacity stadium in the International Olympic Committee’s home city of Lausanne.
Meet director Jacky Delapierre said the stadium would have been sold out “for sure” if Bolt was running, though noted the sport must get ready for a new era.
“We have to be prepared for the future without Bolt,” Delapierre, who has worked in track for nearly 40 years, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “We are at the end of a cycle now.”