Charles van Commenee has been confirmed as the new head coach of UK Athletics (UKA).

Van Commenee, 50, replaces Dave Collins after UK Athletics opted to scrap the role of performance director in favour of a more hands-on coaching position. Niels de Vos, the UKA's chief executive, says the new role will provide Britain's athletes with the best coaching support leading into London 2012.

"Performance director is just too broad and wide a role in a sport as complex as athletics," De Vos said. "Dave did a very good job at putting systems in place, but, at the end of the day, systems do not win you medals.

"This is a day that puts coaching back at the top of the agenda."

Van Commenee is familiar with British athletics, having coached Denise Lewis to heptathlon Olympic gold in 2000 and Kelly Sotherton to bronze in Athens four years ago. He had been a contender for the UKA's now defunct performance director role four years ago but withdrew his application to take up a similar role with the Dutch Olympic Committee.

"I am hugely excited to be returning to British athletics and at such an important time for the sport as we begin the countdown to London 2012," Van Commenee said.

"The fact that I spent four years in Britain as a technical director means that I already know many of the athletes and coaches and the way in which our high performance networks operate.

"I have kept a close eye on British athletics since I left in 2004, and so can hit the ground running and ensure my influence is felt immediately. There is genuine talent here in the UK, and my challenge is to ensure that potential translates to medal success."

At the top end of the sport, Britain has one individual Olympic champion in Christine Ohuruogu, the same as in 2004 and one fewer than in 2000 and 1992.

Ohuruogu became world champion after being shorn of her funding and cast out of the system, while Germaine Mason took silver at the Olympics after losing his lottery money and going home to Jamaica. Dwain Chambers, too, proved that desire and hunger are as important as money as he dominated the domestic sprint season before being barred from Beijing.

Whether the number of funded athletes is now trimmed remains to be seen. Although the new head coach will find a sport beset by issues.

Critics say the coaching structure needs a radical overhaul, as does education, while the grass roots and elite are barely on speaking terms. Clubs are housed in crumbling facilities, attendances at meetings are dismal and the throwing and long-distance events remain all but forgotten. It is no exaggeration to say that the next four years could make or break the sport.

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