It’s early January, which means many of us are making our annual New Year’s resolutions to be better in in the coming year. Track and field could certainly benefit from such a commitment, so here are six resolutions for the sport to improve in the new year.

Resolution: Less controversies involving meet officials

The disastrous DQ-parade that was the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships set a high bar for poor meet official work that no other event should ever strive for again. Now, the officials weren’t directly responsible for each individual disqualification at Birmingham, but when entire heats of the 400m are being wiped out and unequal penalties are being applied to equal infractions, there are clearly cracks in the foundation. Let’s hope to never repeat the 2018 Birmingham fiasco.

27 DQ’s at #IAAFWorlds pic.twitter.com/jZ7B4d9sD5

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) March 4, 2018

On a lighter note, the women’s steeple-gate at the 2018 Oslo Bislett Games — where meet officials first left a barrier at the men’s height and then hilariously adjusted it unevenly like a empty seesaw — made for a chaotic scene where some of the best steeplers in the world were colliding with the incorrect barrier. Thank goodness such a gaffe didn’t take place at a championship event, because I can only imagine the mess officials would have on their hands with such a debacle on a bigger stage.

Resolution: More all-star sprint matchups in 2019

A prominent injury to one of the sport’s biggest stars and no outdoor global championships in 2018 have me desperate for more top-notch sprint showdowns this year.

400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk was out with an ACL injury in 2018, 400m hurdles superstars Abderrahman Samba and Rai Benjamin didn’t race each other and Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Salwa Eid Naser met just once in the 400m, to name a few. These unfortunate developments — or lack thereof — greatly impacted my viewing experience last season. Let's hope 2019 brings a healthy van Niekerk, plenty of Samba v. Benjamin with the world record on the line and much more Miller-Uibo and Naser.

Resolution: Less of WADA going easy on Russia

Access to Moscow laboratory data New Year’s Eve was the deadline set forth to the Russians by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) when they ridiculously reinstated RUSADA in September, and it should be surprising to no one that the deadline was missed. WADA’s credibility cratered when it voted to lift the ban three months ago despite RUSADA barely making any progress towards cleaning up its rampant doping conspiracy. Now that Russia has failed to meet one of the tenants of the reinstatement, WADA has to pull the plug on its ill-conceived vote of confidence.

Statement from USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart on WADA Failure to Enforce Deadline for Russia Data Submission pic.twitter.com/tjY1Imt5iY

— USADA (@usantidoping) January 1, 2019

The agency is no doubt feeling the heat from IOC president Thomas Bach, who wants Russia to be reinstated for the Tokyo Olympics, but at least the IAAF is taking a hard stance on the matter: track and field’s governing body upheld their ban on the Russian federation in early December in spite of WADA’s actions. 

Resolution: More extravagant winner celebrations

Noah Lyles carried the torch in this department in 2018, and he did so admirably, but I need more athletes punctuating their victories with some celebratory creativity like this in 2019:

Watch Noah Lyles (@lylesnoah) become the youngest U.S. 100m champion in 34 years with a time of 9.88--the fastest 100m time in the world this year. #SCS2018 #USATFOutdoors pic.twitter.com/f9ohC3Tble

— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) June 23, 2018

Who doesn’t want to see Michael Norman doing the Carlton dance after a blistering 400m or Sydney McLaughlin break-dancing to celebrate a hypothetical American record?

Resolution: Less tearing down of track and field landmarks

Part of track and field’s soul died along with the destruction of Hayward Field in 2018. What was originally supposed to be a renovation turned into a full-scale tear-down of America’s track and field mecca, an extreme step that many believed wasn’t necessary. May such a tragedy never be repeated.

The final 2 minutes of the East Grandstands. #HaywardField pic.twitter.com/NsOrvOGZRj

— Jake Willard (@RunJwill) June 22, 2018

Resolution: More track and field in non-track and field locations

Amazon would like you to believe that shopping malls are dead, but I’m all for reviving the supposed dying relic if track and field meets are being held in the food court: