Long jump take-off change: Jazmin Sawyers and Ivana Spanovic criticise World Athletics proposal

Jazmin Sawyers won her first major title at the European Indoor Championships last year

Britain's Jazmin Sawyers says a plan by World Athletics to introduce a trial for measuring long jump take-offs is "not what the event needs".

A take-off zone could be trialled in place of the event's traditional wooden board, where a no-jump is called if the athlete's foot crosses the line.

"I don't think there is anything wrong with long jump, and having the board is part of the drama," Sawyers said.

World champion Ivana Spanovic also criticised the proposed change.

"The biggest problem is that the people who change the rules of this sport are those who have never had contact with this sport," Spanovic said.

"You are changing the rules of the game without consulting those who make the sport exist. You ignore their views, you don't respect their opinion and you ignore the problems that lead to their injuries," added the Serb.

World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon said the change would mean "that every jump counts" - with each one measured from where the athlete's front foot takes off in the zone - and it would "add to the jeopardy and the drama of the competition".

Ridgeon told the Anything But Footy podcast that a third of all jumps at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest did not count, adding: "That doesn't work, that is a waste of time."

European Indoor champion Sawyers responsed to the proposal in a social media video and detailed three potential advantages - including bigger jumps - but eight disadvantages.

Sawyers said the proposal's potential issues include its implementation at grassroots level, the removal of an essential skill element from the event, and a negative impact on drama and spectator experience.

"I appreciate they are trying to do something but this is just how I view it," Sawyers said.

"I don't think this particular innovation is a good idea. I don't think this is what the long jump needs."

Responding to the proposal on social media, eight-time global medallist Spanovic said such measures would "make the competition even more pointless" and likened the change to running a 100m race without a judge.

"Huge sums of money are spent trying to attract attention to the sport while ignoring everything the sport rests on," Spanovic said.

"I believe that the focus on sponsorships and television broadcasts should not come at the expense of the integrity of the sport, and it would be great to find a balance between promoting the sport and preserving its basic values."

Their responses followed that of four-time Olympic long jump champion Carl Lewis, who wrote on social media: "You're supposed to wait until 1 April for April Fools jokes."

A World Athletics spokesperson told BBC Sport it would be testing take-off zones in multiple locations throughout the outdoor season.