Meetings behind closed doors, new formats for events and enterprising clubs stepping up to the mark to provide competitions for their members are becoming the new normal for athletics.
Unfortunately, more fixtures are still disappearing off the calendar as The Wanda Diamond League has announced further modifications to its provisional 2020 programme.
In a statement released over the weekend, two more meetings have been cancelled and a third has been pushed back to the autumn.
The Meeting de Paris, provisionally scheduled for September 6, has been scrubbed from the list and will not take place this season.
The meeting organisers concluded that there is not enough time to organise a world-class international event following the latest announcements from the government regarding the organisation of major events in France.
It is hoped that French leg of the Wanda Diamond League meeting will return in August 2021, when it is able once more to host an occasion up to its usual standard in terms of both organisation and world class performers.
Not surprising, given the state of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, the 2020 Prefontaine Classic set for Eugene has also been cancelled.
The state of Oregon currently has a ban on large gatherings including sporting events and that restriction will be in place until at least the end of September.
The Prefontaine Classic will no doubt return in 2021 and allow the University of Oregon the opportunity to showcase the new Hayward Field stadium to track & field fans around the world.
Discussions are still ongoing in relation to the Muller Grand Prix in Gateshead which is no longer scheduled for August 16 but now has a possible September 12 date mooted.
But UK Athletics cannot confirm at this time due to Government guidelines and restrictions not yet being clear.
The Wanda Diamond League in 2020 will not be a structured series of events leading to a final as is usually the case.
Consequently athletes will not earn Diamond League points this season, and there will not be a single, 24-discipline final in Zurich as originally planned.
On a more positive note the British Athletics Championships will, subject to the current provisos, go ahead on the weekend of September 4/5.
The meeting is now set to take place behind closed doors at the Manchester Regional Arena instead of a larger venue like the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.
And the good news for fireside fans is that the championships will be broadcast live on the Friday night on BBC Two from 18:30 and the Saturday afternoon on BBC One from 13:15.
Dates have also been set for the Irish national championships although details of the format of the events is scant at this time.
Athletics Ireland announced that a schedule of competitions for the track and field season, subject to the easing of government restrictions.
The National Senior Championships are now pencilled in for August 22/23 and these will also incorporate the Under 23 deciders.
The following weekend it will be the turn of the juveniles with the Masters taking their turn on September 5.
The greatly-abbreviated season concludes with the U20 championships on September 12/13. All four meetings are listed for Morton Stadium in Dublin.
There is no indication yet whether these will be behind closed doors or not.
Before that, Northern athletes can look forward to their own provincial championships in August starting with the juveniles on August 15/16.
There is a gap then until the Seniors on September 12/13 and the combined events on September 26/27.
The NI Masters’ are currently listed for September 4 which is unfortunate given that the nationals are the following day.
It is hoped that good sense will prevail, and a new date can be found.
Athletics NI has also made it known that all scheduled team competitions for the 2020 summer season have been cancelled and will not be taking teams to, among other events, the Manchester International or U23 EAP international.
In the meantime, some clubs have been stepping up to the plate in providing competition for their members.
Annadale Striders and Beechmount Harriers recently ran off closed events and at the weekend it was the turn of North Belfast Harriers.
The Stags socially-distanced handicap 5K time trial at Victoria Park produced some impressive times with Andrew Milligan proving the fastest with a 15:15 timing.
Mark McKinstry showed that the long miles on the lonely roads around his Glenwherry home had done him no harm at all with a 15:25 mark.
Best performance of all may have come from 60-year-old Dave Clarke who registered an excellent 16:48 only a few months after a hernia operation.
That definitely is not normal at any time.
