ID :
204933
Fri, 09/02/2011 - 16:44
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https://oananews.org//node/204933
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IAAF vice president Coe defends false start rule
(Yonhap Interview)
By Yoo Jee-ho
DAEGU, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- The controversial false start rule in athletics should not change simply because a high-profile star is affected, a senior official of the international athletics governing body said Friday.
In an interview with Yonhap News Agency on the sidelines of the World Championships in Athletics here, Sebastian Coe, vice president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), defended the "one-and-gone" false start rule.
"The rule is the rule; you do not change rules simply because a high-profile athlete becomes disqualified," Coe said. "I think it would not be good for the sport to make a sudden decision. Sports are governed by law and rules. That's exactly where we are."
The rule, which was adopted last year and is being applied at a world championships for the first time here, came under the spotlight last Sunday. In the men's 100-meter final, Usain Bolt, the world record holder and a favorite to win his back-to-back world crown, was disqualified after the jumping gun once.
Under the previous rule adopted in 2003, the field was allowed one false start and the second runner to commit a foul was out, regardless of who had the first false start.
With Bolt, arguably the biggest star at the entire championships, out of the marquee event, critics said the rule could further victimize other big names in future events, namely the 2012 London Olympics, and affect their popularity.
Coe is the head of the organizing committee for the London Olympics. While some British papers have made calls for the rule change, apparently out of concern that the Olympics may suffer a letdown if high-profile sprinters violate the rule, Coe said that was "not a particularly good argument."
"I think you have to be very careful when you suddenly decide that because the rule has been activated by a high-profile athlete, you make a decision to change the rule," he said. "That's not responsible organization of sports."
Coe, who won the Olympic gold medals in the 1,500 meters in 1980 and 1984, and silver medals in the 800 meters in those two Olympic Games, said it's ultimately up to the athletes to control themselves at the starting blocks.
"A false start is an example of an athlete at the moment not mastering every aspect of the competition," Coe said.
Coe said the championships here have otherwise run smoothly.
"Daegu and the people of Daegu have really embraced the championships," he said. "Particularly, the competitors feel that they're being made to feel very welcomed."
Aside from the 2012 Summer Olympics, London is also bidding to host the world athletics championships in 2017. Coe said he will learn from "the first-rate organizing committee of the highest order" in Daegu and the way the city has built a proper championship atmosphere.
Coe also supported the IAAF's decision to ask South Africa to place its amputee runner, Oscar Pistorius, in the first leg of relays, saying it was a responsible move on the IAAF's part.
Pistorius, called "Blade Runner" for his carbon fiber artificial legs, was the first runner for the South African team that set the national record in 4x400-meter relay Thursday. South African officials said he will not run in Friday's final, based on a decision reached on "factual information and knowledge."
On the eve of the championships, Lamine Diack, the IAAF president, said he'd asked the South African federation to have Pistorius run the first leg to avoid dangers to others.
Pistorius has countered that he has never had problems in previous relays and that South Africa would be at a disadvantage if he ran the first leg because of his slow start.
Coe denied Diack was trying to pressure South Africa.
"I think the South Africans picked the team," he said. "It is a responsibility of the chairmen to make judgments that they think are in the best interest of their sports."
The IAAF had earlier banned Pistorius from its competitions, citing the advantage he had over others with his artificial limbs, only to have the move overruled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Coe said the IAAF "needed to understand much more about the sport and understand more about the challenges."
"We did lots of work and testing (on Pistorius). And he is eligible to compete," Coe said. "He's had exactly the same courtesy and the attention to detail from the organizing committee and the IAAF that all competitors have. If Oscar had won a medal, we would have celebrated."
jeeho@yna.co.kr
By Yoo Jee-ho
DAEGU, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- The controversial false start rule in athletics should not change simply because a high-profile star is affected, a senior official of the international athletics governing body said Friday.
In an interview with Yonhap News Agency on the sidelines of the World Championships in Athletics here, Sebastian Coe, vice president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), defended the "one-and-gone" false start rule.
"The rule is the rule; you do not change rules simply because a high-profile athlete becomes disqualified," Coe said. "I think it would not be good for the sport to make a sudden decision. Sports are governed by law and rules. That's exactly where we are."
The rule, which was adopted last year and is being applied at a world championships for the first time here, came under the spotlight last Sunday. In the men's 100-meter final, Usain Bolt, the world record holder and a favorite to win his back-to-back world crown, was disqualified after the jumping gun once.
Under the previous rule adopted in 2003, the field was allowed one false start and the second runner to commit a foul was out, regardless of who had the first false start.
With Bolt, arguably the biggest star at the entire championships, out of the marquee event, critics said the rule could further victimize other big names in future events, namely the 2012 London Olympics, and affect their popularity.
Coe is the head of the organizing committee for the London Olympics. While some British papers have made calls for the rule change, apparently out of concern that the Olympics may suffer a letdown if high-profile sprinters violate the rule, Coe said that was "not a particularly good argument."
"I think you have to be very careful when you suddenly decide that because the rule has been activated by a high-profile athlete, you make a decision to change the rule," he said. "That's not responsible organization of sports."
Coe, who won the Olympic gold medals in the 1,500 meters in 1980 and 1984, and silver medals in the 800 meters in those two Olympic Games, said it's ultimately up to the athletes to control themselves at the starting blocks.
"A false start is an example of an athlete at the moment not mastering every aspect of the competition," Coe said.
Coe said the championships here have otherwise run smoothly.
"Daegu and the people of Daegu have really embraced the championships," he said. "Particularly, the competitors feel that they're being made to feel very welcomed."
Aside from the 2012 Summer Olympics, London is also bidding to host the world athletics championships in 2017. Coe said he will learn from "the first-rate organizing committee of the highest order" in Daegu and the way the city has built a proper championship atmosphere.
Coe also supported the IAAF's decision to ask South Africa to place its amputee runner, Oscar Pistorius, in the first leg of relays, saying it was a responsible move on the IAAF's part.
Pistorius, called "Blade Runner" for his carbon fiber artificial legs, was the first runner for the South African team that set the national record in 4x400-meter relay Thursday. South African officials said he will not run in Friday's final, based on a decision reached on "factual information and knowledge."
On the eve of the championships, Lamine Diack, the IAAF president, said he'd asked the South African federation to have Pistorius run the first leg to avoid dangers to others.
Pistorius has countered that he has never had problems in previous relays and that South Africa would be at a disadvantage if he ran the first leg because of his slow start.
Coe denied Diack was trying to pressure South Africa.
"I think the South Africans picked the team," he said. "It is a responsibility of the chairmen to make judgments that they think are in the best interest of their sports."
The IAAF had earlier banned Pistorius from its competitions, citing the advantage he had over others with his artificial limbs, only to have the move overruled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Coe said the IAAF "needed to understand much more about the sport and understand more about the challenges."
"We did lots of work and testing (on Pistorius). And he is eligible to compete," Coe said. "He's had exactly the same courtesy and the attention to detail from the organizing committee and the IAAF that all competitors have. If Oscar had won a medal, we would have celebrated."
jeeho@yna.co.kr
