John Austin reports on the athletics programme for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which will commence in Glasgow, Scotland on 27 July. National and International Athletics is almost entirely metric. The only imperial measurements in general use are “beneath the surface”: some shot weights are in whole numbers of pounds and hurdle and steeplechase heights are in imperial. Even the marathon is not an official distance in miles but is rather 42 195 m. So it may come as a surprise to most people to find that the 1500 m races have all been replaced by 1 mile [1].
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For Chris Eubank Jr, the cost of professional boxing not going metric is £375 000
Chris Eubank Jr. has reportedly been fined for being “0.05 lb overweight” at the weigh in for tonight’s middleweight boxing match with Conor Benn.
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Non-metric units in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
If like me, you are a fan of the Olympic Games, over the last 16 days you have probably enjoyed seeing the metric system used almost exclusively in TV coverage of the Games. It seems that the tendency, all too common in the 1970s, for British TV commentators to convert heights jumped, and distances thrown, into feet and inches, is definitely a thing of the past.
However, whilst most of the events, such as athletics, swimming and cycling, could be said to be exclusively metric, a few events still made use of non-metric measurement units.
Now that the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have come to a close, we take a look at some of the last hold-outs of non-metric units.
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Rock Reef activities flyer muddle
Rock Reef activities on Bournemouth pier is aimed at thrill-seekers. They publish a flyer aimed predominantly at a young market. Their flyer mixes metric and imperial units in many places and even does this in the same sentence.
Continue reading “Rock Reef activities flyer muddle”Metric reminders for your holiday
As we approach the summer holiday season, Ronnie Cohen looks at the familiar metric units that we are likely to encounter wherever we go on holiday. And, yes, that includes the USA, although its exceptionalism is likely to provide us with a few problems.
2017 Laws of Cricket (or how not to specify quantities)
With the cricket season in full swing, Martin Vlietstra highlights some aspects of the laws of the game. Martin is on the active panel of qualified cricket umpires, and also comments frequently on articles posted on Metric Views.
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Olympics – metric in Winter too
The Department for Transport has always maintained that the measurement system used on road traffic signs can be considered in isolation from the UK, European and global economies. The Winter Olympics in Korea, now drawing to a close, provide us with yet another reminder, should one be needed, that this might not be so.
MOTD writes metric but speaks imperial
At last, the General Election campaign is over. And now, as we wait for the results, Ronnie Cohen looks at something completely different: Match of the Day. Or is it?
Rio 2016, a showcase for the metric system
As 2016 draws to a close, we look at one of the institutions that benefits from an international and universal measurement system – the Olympic Games.
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On the beach (in North London)
The onset of foggy mornings and dark evenings reminds us that winter is on its way. Ronnie Cohen has written an article that may just get us thinking of those lazy, hazy days of summer spent on a continental beach (metric measures taken for granted) or perhaps even on an urban beach alongside the North Circular Road in North London.
Metric Views 