• Plan was introduced to reduce number of foul jumps

• ‘Athletes do not want to embrace it,’ says Jon Ridgeon

World Athletics has scrapped plans to introduce a takeoff zone for the long jump rather than the traditional board because of widespread hostility from athletes.

Jon Ridgeon, the governing body’s chief executive, said that while the proposals had gone well in trials, “you ultimately do not want to go to war with your most important group of people”.