Prefontaine Diamond League Meet is Quickly Losing Its Lustre

It's midnight in Monte Carlo.

A light burns in a back office of the plush headquarters of the International Association of Athletics Federations. A skeleton crew of underling staff is feverishly manning a small phone bank.

The bigwigs have long since departed for a three day weekend.

The mission: fill at least two - possibly three - suddenly vacant ambassadorships in the IAAF's fledgling Diamond League series of international star-studded track meets.

And do it by Monday. Or else!

Or else the biggest loser could be Eugene Oregon's Prefontaine Classic.

The 26th Nike Prefontaine Classic on July 3, was to have been the recipient of four Diamond League ambassadors - elite world-class athletes with genuine star power.

As a designated Diamond League meet, the Pre Classic is one of 14 global stops throughout the summer season.

It was announced in March that Yelena Isinbayeva, Kenenisa Bekele, Sanya Richards-Ross and Tyson Gay would lend their esteemed presence to the Pre.

Isinbayeva, the Russian vault queen, in April decided to take the remainder of the year off after two rare losses at the 2009 Outdoor Worlds and 2010 Indoor Worlds.

Bekele, Ethiopia's world record holder in the 10,000m and 5000m, is now probably done for the season as well, succumbing to a torn calf muscle.

The just-married Richards-Ross, 400m World Champion, has yet to race this year. She has been struggling with Behcet's Disease and is recovering from a quadriceps injury. Even if able to compete, her conditioning might still be suspect in early July.

Of the four ambassadors, only sprinter Tyson Gay, who has had a promising early season after groin surgery in 2009, is still a valid entry in the 200m.

While the Prefontaine Classic has always been loaded with international talent and could easily pull off a successful meet on its own merits, the loss of Isinbayeva, Bekele and possibly Richards-Ross will certainly be felt.

And so, to those poor staffers burning the midnight oil in Monte Carlo I say,

"Keep those phone lines hummin' guys. I've already bought my Pre tickets."