In search of the spotlight, athletics takes leap of faith

In this Sept. 29, 2019, file phto, Alysha Newman, of Canada, competes in the women's pole vault final at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. [AP] 

With traditional competition shut down by the coronavirus pandemic, athletics has begun experimenting with imaginative and unusual ways to ensure that, somehow, the show goes on.

The Olympics and European Championships have been postponed and there no traditional meetings are scheduled until the Diamond League in Monaco on August 14, yet there has been a steady stream of creative initiatives to allow competition.