BERLIN, March 21 AP - Every false starter in sprints faces immediate exclusion from the race under a new proposal by the technical commission of world governing body of athletics.
Until now, one false start was allowed per race; another false start meant the automatic exclusion of the guilty sprinter regardless of who caused the first false start. The new rule would mean an immediate red card for the first offender.
``Many athletes were playing mind games with the others, but under the new rule that would not be possible,’’ Jorge Salcedo, head of the technical commission of the International Association of Athletics Federations, said on Saturday.
The IAAF Council, meeting this weekend, needs to approve the proposal before it is presented to the IAAF congress before the World Championship in Berlin in August. If accepted, the new rule would become effective in January 2010.
The current rule allowing one false start has been in force since 2003. Before, a sprinter would be disqualified only after two false starts, which sometimes led to long delays that compromised live television coverage.
Under other proposals, the decathlon and heptathlon would end with a pursuit race in the men’s 1,500 and the women’s 800.
The starting order of the final race would be staggered to reflect the difference in points and the first across the line would be the winner of the entire two-day event. Until now, points had to be calculated according to the times before the overall winner was known.
By Nesha Starcevic
BERLIN, March 21 AP - False starters in sprints face immediate exclusion from races under a new proposal by the world governing body of track and field.
Currently, one false start is allowed per race; another false start means the automatic exclusion of the guilty sprinter regardless of who caused the first false start. The new rule would mean an immediate expulsion for any offender. Many athletes were playing mind games with the others, but under the new rule that would not be possible,'' Jorge Salcedo, head of the technical commission of the International Association of Athletics Federations, said on Saturday. The IAAF Council, meeting this weekend, gave its support to the proposal, which will now go to the IAAF congress before the World Championships in Berlin in August. If ratified, the new rule would become effective at the start of 2010. The rule is supported by the council,’’ its general secretary Pierre Weiss said. ``The final decision has to be made by the congress.’’
The current rule allowing one false start has been in force since 2003. Before, a sprinter would be disqualified only after two false starts, which sometimes led to long delays which were unappealing to live television coverage.
Under other proposals, the decathlon and heptathlon would end with a pursuit race in the men’s 1,500 and the women’s 800.
The starting order of the final race would be staggered to reflect the difference in points and the first across the line would be the winner of the entire two-day event. Until now, points had to be calculated according to the times before the overall winner was known.
How do they plan on having the 1500m starts being at the correct time? This sounds loaded with potential problems. I like the idea, but how on earth are they going to implement it?
Are they using an automated timer that makes a sound when the next person goes? Do they group everyone into 1 second bunches and hope any people starting at the same time don’t finish close enough for there to be confusion? Does some official stand out there and call names when people should start, which would be horrifically inaccurate? What if two or more people need to start within 0.5 seconds of each other, or 0.2 seconds? What happens if the leader takes off, runs 150m, then someone false starts and jumps his place in the queue?
Every time I see or read something about false starts, i think of WC in Edmonton with Greene, Ato, Chambers, etc. and the 3 false starts.
Yea, false starts aren’t the best, but I think it adds stress and good entertainment for the viewer. I mean, come on, 3 false starts and that finish. That race is my favorite of any race… EVER:D
If I understand the dec/hep rules correctly I believe that it is stupid. The new rules would to some degree discredit the previous events. You do nine events and then everybody breaks even? I think that the new rules put too much emphasis on the 1500. I know that the other events would still be taken into consideration, but the new rules just don’t seem right.
I think t’s a great idea and way ovverdue. Starting is supposed to be a reaction to a noise. If you hear the noise then you start running whats the problem!!! If you flinch because someone else did then tough shit, you are not reacting to the noise…
Just so I have some perspective on your view, what is your pb in whatever events you run/ran? I’m not insinuating it you are fast or slow - just wondering. If I was fast enough to medal at a world championships and flinched in the blocks because the guy next to me took off early and I got DQ because of it, I’d probably react like John Drummond did in 2003 (which was not quite the same as what I described).
Ha, I am only a former 21.90s 200m man but it’s quite simple in my mind and I tell the athletes that I coach this, and they NEVER false start. Start running when the gun goes, plain and simple, if you start before this you not reacting to the noise, and that’s what starting is supposed to be…