WMA betrays the founders of world masters track
David Pain will dissolve in agony when he hears about this: official medal counts at the WMA world meet. Thirty years ago, at the first World Masters Track & Field Championships in Toronto, the founders of what would become the World Association of Veteran Athletes (now World Masters Athletics) fought a bitter battle with Canadian authorities to allow 15 white South Africans and two Rhodesians to compete.
Despite the threat of loss of local subsidies, masters officials stood up for the rights of athletes and won.
In a detailed chronicle of that fight, Len Olson’s book “Masters Track & Field: A History” quotes Pain — the founder of masters track in America — as saying: “The whole masters concept is that of individuals competing among themselves and not representing a country. It is not political! The government should stay out of it! The South Africans have passports to be in this country. They’re not here illegally. They have not done anything wrong. It just happens they came here to compete in a track meet.”
What does this have to do with medal counts? Plenty.
The founders of WAVA wanted to avoid the stifling overlay of politics that had come to poison the Olympic movement. The founders wanted nothing to do with nationalistic displays or political considerations. They just wanted to give older-age track and field folks around the world an opportunity to compete in their beloved sport.
Olson wrote in 1998: “No national scores were kept at Toronto — in fact, none have been kept in all WAVA World Championships to date.”
Well, that record has now been shot all to hell.
We saw evidence of this sea change in attitude with the new rule that all athletes compete in unforms of their home country. That in itself is an abomination to the original WAVA creed. Athletes gain entry via national associations and march together in the opening and closing ceremonies, but they weren’t intended to be pawns of an America-first (or Germany-first) mid-set.
Keeping track of who wins the most medals buys into the Olympic “ideal” that we compete for our country first, ourselves last. That’s EXACTLY what the founders of WAVA wanted to avoid!
WMA has strayed so far from its origins that I’m afraid it’s marooned on an island of total disconnect and delusion. We want to become less like the Olympics, not more. WMA may say that it didn’t sanction the medal count, but it hasn’t issued a rebuke either.
I’ll look into this further.
2 Responses
before you shoot from your lip you should have checked the matter out. The requirement for uniforms was based on two fctors: team awards in the relays and non-stadia events for which identification is helpful to the team members (who their opponents are and the spectators); and the ability of fans to cheer for their countrymen.
There are no official medal counts or team trophies awarded. Unofficial counts have been kept for as long as I can remember
I know that you like to agitate but you are doing a great disservice to the program in your erroneous conclusion.
Bob is not quite right about the uniforms. A rule was voted in a few years ago giving national affiliates control over what athletes wear in all events. As I understand it, certain countries which require their athletes to join an association and pay dues wanted to be able to enforce this by requiring athletes to buy an apporoved uniform which they would sell only to paid-up members.
Quick Silver
Hong Kong
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