First reports from Clermont-Ferrand: Send in the clowns

Indoor track meets have been likened to three-ring circuses. So what can you say about a six-day meet with a couple dozen age groups (male and female)? Not enough. Clermont-Ferrand was overwhelming, especially when every athlete has a story. And the results page (I’ve copied the USA one here) can barely do it justice. For example, the American M60 4×200 relay team was DQ’d. Given its makeup of world-class speedsters Sam Hall, Steve Robbins, Mack Stewart and Charles Allie, it’s obvious that a medal was lost. Thankfully, that mystery is now resolved: A collision sparked by a clueless official led to the DQ. It wasn’t the only instance of officiating stupidity.


Dr. Robbins reports:

I just got back from the worlds in Clermont-Ferrand and thought I’d share some observations with you because I know you’re interested in how these meets are run. Please note that my comments come from a very narrow perspective. They just cover my experiences as an M65 sprinter.
The common problem I saw at the French meet was officials who either didn’t know or chose to ignore the rules and procedures that were in place. As a somewhat “expert” on management, I know rules and procedures exist to increase predictability and uniformity. When they’re ignored, you can get some pretty crazy results.
Let me highlight what I experienced:
— We had three heats in the 60m dash on Monday morning. The rules are clear (they were even in the program!) that with 3 heats, the top 2 in each plus the next fastest 2 go directly to finals. After the heats, the officials confirmed that we would bypass semis and move to finals on Tuesday. When I came on Tuesday for the finals, I was told that I had missed the semis (along with four others) on Monday afternoon. Thankfully those results were protested, thrown out, and the final was run as it should have been.
— For the final of the 60, the names of the eight competitors were put into the computer in the wrong lanes. After the race, while I thought I had won, the display board had a German as the winner and me in third. I was getting congratulated by the athletes but all I could see was that I had officially finished third. I kept telling everyone to “look at the board; I didn’t win!” About 20 minutes later, our team manager told me that I had won and that the results would be changed.
— The medal ceremony for the M65 60m was scheduled for the late afternoon — some 5 hours after the race. However, the results were still not posted on the result board. The official overseeing the medal ceremony asked me if I had the official results. Of course, I didn’t. But I said I did. He asked me to write down the names of the medal winners. Based on what everyone had told me, I wrote down our names and countries. They awarded us our medals based on my handwritten list!
— The 12 semi-finalists for the 200 in our age group showed up at the check-in desk at the appropriate time. We were told that our semi had been canceled and that we would go directly to finals. As a group, in mass, we tried to explain to the officials that the rules required us to have semis. The officials were insistent that there would be no semis. Only after the British team manager came over and interceded did the meet officials go forward with the semis.
— The rules clearly state that the fastest seed in the 200 would get lane 5 and the second-fastest lane 6. They seeded all the heats and semis in reverse, with the fastest seed in lane 6. Only after a protest was made was this corrected in the finals. This effected both placements on first and second seeds as well as how much effort athletes exerted in trying to get the preferred lane 5 for the semis and finals.
— For the 4×2 relays, the rules state that team members 3 and 4 are placed at the line in the order that their incoming runner is at at the end of the back straightaway. I ran 2nd on our USA team. I was in 2nd position at the end of the backstretch and our 3rd man appropriately put himself in lane 2. For some unknown reason, the official moved him to lane 6. I spotted him with about 20 meters to our handoff, but the confusion led to an athlete from another country stepping in between me and my teammate and I went flying on my face.
Laying on the ground, I stupidly pushed the baton forward to try to get it to my teammate and, for this action, our team was disqualified.
I’m not writing this to complain. In fact, as I reread it, it looks like a script for a 1920s Mack Sennett comedy entitled “The Keystone Kops Put on a Track Meet.” I respect and appreciate those cities that bid for world championships. But WMA has to do a lot more to ensure that officials know the rules and procedures and have thoroughly trained those who are working the meet.

Of course, this isn’t the first indoor worlds to suffer foolish calls and management. (Indeed, world records were lost when distance runners at Linz worlds in 2006 suffered a lap-count disaster.)
Thank goodness that wiser heads prevailed in some of the cases cited.
But the buck stops with WMA and its leadership. They’re main job is making sure world championships are run according to WMA rules. If meets fall short, the proper authorities should be held accountable. Translation: Kick the bums out.
If you witnessed any other nonsense in France, let me know, or post a comment here. I’ll withhold your name upon request. But I need to know who you are.
Meanwhile, here’s an environmental shot by Rick Riddle a day before competition began in France (note M55 sprinter Bill Collins in the stands. He went on to win four golds — 60, 200, 400 and 4×2, dropping down to the M40 group!)

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March 23, 2008

6 Responses

  1. Pam - March 24, 2008

    Hi Ken
    I am not completely computer-illiterate, but besides not understanding French, can you guide me through the results page for Clermont Ferrand, I have tried all the buttons to get the South African results, but without success.
    Regards
    Pam

  2. Ken Stone - March 24, 2008

    Yeah, the country dropdown menu is not very English friendly. I finally figgered out that Etats-unis is United States and Afrique de Sud is South Africa. Germany is Allemagne. Hookay!

  3. Stefan Waltermann - March 24, 2008

    Pam, go to the official website, click on the English version if you are not familiar with the other languages they are foolishly offering (it’s nuts to use other language in the world, is it not???). On the very right, you will find a copy of the official event poster with the word “RESULTS”. Click on it. Next, you will see the result page. Again, those French display insolence by using both, English and French in the headers. That’s terrible and inexcusable. Next, click on the very upper right on the arrow in the drop-down menu pays/country and select “Afrique Du Sud” Alas, all South African results are on display. Again, the French run it their own way and use their native language. We should really tell them to see the light and replace their strange language with American English, the only proper way to speak in the world. Dick Cheney could make a little detour and set things straight over there. Freedom fries forever!

  4. Christel Donley - March 24, 2008

    Good morning, or whatever time it is, I am still on CF time and my suitcase is – I guess – still in Paris.
    Before I sort out what made sense and what was nonsense – equal parts – I guess, at least it was an experiment, wow!
    I will not blame the French for not wanting to understand us even if they could! We don’t speak French, they don’t speak English! The confusion
    at times hit the top – and sometimes it just took a moment and a smile, and everybody backed off.
    I had made up my mind, to roll with the punches,the only way to survive – or NOT to go.
    I was foolish enough to sign up for an outdoor event, had never thrown javelin in the snow – and bittercold temp. BUT whow as to blame – just me. Got 2 throws in, standing in full skioutfit, and then raced indoors to the relay.
    I could fill pages with good and bad experiences but most of you reading this,where there, so why add to the “drama”
    Yet, I would love to find out my hurdle time in the open race, we ran with the “younger” ones, I know I won – got my medal – but the sheet with the time was lost.
    One complaint I have, was the generosity of rule interpretation, if there were two events at the same time you had to choose one and scratch the other, yet upon request!! the officials let the older ladies do one event and then go to the next!
    I gave up the triplejump, and my opponenet would have protested – rightly so – had I come later after finishing the highjump.
    By the way, athletes were very quick to protest, but the offcials did not understand them…
    “Know hat I mean”
    One of the lady officials in the call room was more than apologetic, she was helping and interpreting the whole week and simply said, we are so sorry for the athletes – and we are embarresed. Well, she did not speak for everybody, but it was good to hear.
    Now, let’s hear other stories.
    I need to retrieve my suitcase, get some more sleep and head off to Boston.
    Oh, and a Big Thank you to all my fellow athletes, the comraderie was “non plus ultra” stay healthy – see you somewhere!

  5. Rick Riddle - March 24, 2008

    I am still in Paris spending a couple of touring days. I will merely add a ditto to Mr. Robbins comments regarding the confusion over the rules, which as he says were PRINTED in the competitor’s handbook. To add my particular experiences for the M55 sprinters would require too much typing here. In many respects the procedures and rendering of the rules became completely comical. I understand there are language issues and we all need to be flexible about the communication problems, but there were important variations of rulings in direct conflict with the printed rules.
    When this was pointed out it was usually met with rude hand waving and quite loud French language lessons.

  6. John-Ulo Kuhi - March 31, 2008

    In many of the 800 trials the third heat appeared designated for the slow guys. By Rule the first two advanced automatically. Apparently they got a complaint and 800 finals were adjusted. instead of 9 runners 12 advanced to the final. In the mens age 55 Tony (he had the 3rd fastest time) Plaster did not know he made the final until hours before.

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