Arnold wrote:Case in point at the British (level A, I know) we insist on 27 courses when there are only 1200 or so entrants
Nothing mandatory about the course provision at all!
Referring to the table of courses for the British Championships, Competition Rule A (7.1.1) states:
This table has been drawn up on the assumption that there are 3000 competitors competing in a four hour start span and class combinations may be varied where circumstances dictate this.
So organisers have free rein to reduce the number of courses where fewer entrants are anticipated.
Back to the colour-coded issue: again, BOF documentation gives more flexibility than is often credited. For example, Events Appendix B (Course Planning) says (8.5.3) with respect to colour-coded events:
The range of courses offered will depend on the size of the area, terrain, expected number of competitors, etc. clubs should try to provide a range suitable for most abilities.
The obvious implication here being that where few competitors are expected, fewer courses should be provided.