Riccione world meet forced to separate the sexes?
Back in 1989, Oregon sportswriter Ron Bellamy wrote a column at the close of the Eugene world championships that predicted the WAVA meet was growing so big that qualifying standards would become mandatory. It hasn't come to that, thank goodness. But the logistics of this meet, with 6,000-plus usually expected, have led to some unfortunate scheduling. Italian masters runner Rosa Marchi, writing on a national site, notes that in several events the women's finals will be the same day as the men's finals -- but three miles apart in different stadia. Rosa is outraged.
Here's what Rosa wrote -- translated into English by a teacher friend, Emanuela Stacchietti:
MEN AND WOMEN FAR APART AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AT RICCIONE!San Sebastian, September 2, 2005:
At the Anoeta Stadium the British runner Virginia Mitchell has just won the 400 final in the age group W40 with the time of 57.92. Waiting for the new world champion at the finish line was her husband Tony Mitchell, who has just run in the 400 final in the age group M45. The two athletes hug each other happily.
The stadium is full of people come to enjoy the show of all the finals: starting from the older age groups -- women and men -- down to the younger and more sprinting ones.
Three exciting hours of races during which all age classes (from M35 to M95) tried their best to represent the real "master spirit" in a track and field competition and to give small and big emotions to the public on the stands.
The same thing had happened eight days earlier with the finals of the 100 -- the most longed for event in the whole athletics programme. And the same principle, on the whole, has been applied to all the running finals during the previous editions of the World Masters Athletics Championships.
But all this, at Riccione, won't happen.
Analyzing the race timetable scheduled from September 4 to 15, we notice that the finals of the main running events are divided between the two stadiums of Riccione and Misano Adriatico (men on one side and women on the other). The men's finals of 100, for example, will take place on September 7 at Riccione, while the women's 100 finals will take place on the same day but 5 kilometers far away at Misano Adriatico. The final of the 200 will take place on September 9, with the men running at Misano and the women at Riccione and so on.
[Click here to download all the events timetable from the official site].We don't know the exact starting hours of the races,yet, so we don't know if the public will be able to follow both finals (moving from stadium to stadium) or if there will be overlappings of events. In any case, for sure this situation will penalize the show.
We've asked Lamberto Vacchi (director of the technical committee and in charge of the organization of the World Masters Athletics Championship) the reasons behind this choice.
This is his answer: "The daily programme of the races has been decided by the WMA Technical
Delegate (the vice-president Rex Harvey) without any chance for us to modify it. Then you have to consider that the three City Administrations involved (Riccione, Misano Adriatico and S. Giovanni with a six-lane track) have faced this championship by doing big money investments on the rebuilding of new tracks jumping and throwing fields. Now the characteristics of S. Giovanni (six-lanestrack) make this place more suitable to long distance races while the other two stadiums are practically the same. Both Riccione and Misano Adriatico have wanted to be equal also on the planning of the races hosting the finals of alternatively men and women (that is in one race men are at Riccione and in another one they are at Misano). I realize this scheme might create some problems, but when the numbers are high -- as I hope they'll be -- you need to be realistic."Maybe. We would have preferred a more vertical subdivision of the programme suggesting, for example, all the finals of 100 and 400 at Riccione and all those of 200 and 800 at Misano Adriatico. Perhaps in this way the business demands could have been combined with those of the public and the athletes like Virginia and Tony Mitchell.
AND THE HIGH JUMP M40 AND M45?
And anyhow our doubts about the choices of decentralization of the races don't finish here. For example, the M40 and M45 high jump events scheduled for September 10 -- for sure among the most spectacular and anticipated for also by the public, will be the only ones of this particular event to be disputed on the jumping field of S. Giovanni in Marigliano which, according to some people, would be less performance-oriented than those of Riccione and Misano Adriatico.
It could have been expected that these two competitions would have been programmed in the main stadium at Riccione with all the public they deserve. In this case, not even the simultaneity of high jump competitions of other age groups can be called into question: all jumping fields would be available.
Comments
Prior WMA(WAVA) meets have used more than one stadium - but I do not recall a gender division among the stadiums as we will have in Riccione, with the use of 2 stadiums for a single event. For the most part I recall that the longer events - 5k, 10k, and track race walks were dispatched to the outer darkness of far distant stadiums and very small gathering of spectators. The field events often get the same treatment of being sent off to the hinterlands with poor access by infrequent shuttles.
Riccione goes to a new level (high or low depending upon one's perspective) of dividing up the stadiums and events by gender. My prediction is that the mens events will get the larger share of spectators - with the women - especially those who are shuttled off to Misano Adriatico drawing only family and friends - if that. And those events at S. Giovanni- most of us who compete there will be fortunate to find the place in time for the race. It is not just the poster events complained about in the note above - it is virtually all of the events aside from the x-c and the street walks and marathon that are divided by gender.
My prediction is that there will be alot of grumbling about this, that the "technical committee" will not be sent a box of chocolates in thanks for their "splendid" work - regardless of whose not so bright idea this may be.
Part of the fun of the WMA meet is to sit in the stands and cheer for both the men and the women competing in the same event. Who ever came up with this bright idea of dividing up the venues by gender rather than by event is not much of a fan of masters athletics. I hope there will be sufficient discontent expressed by the participants about the gender separation by stadiums that the technical committee decides that it is a bad idea and one not to be repeated.
Frankly I think it is thoughtless, insulting, and sexist.
Posted by: Mary Harada | June 5, 2007 5:39 AM
What can you do? Just image 6000 athletes. There will be 878 Germans. I just looked it up. How many of us are traveling? Over 400. That's huge, unbelievable, truly remarkable. Let's be proud for a moment here. Complaining is one thing. Considering the logistical difficulties for our Italian friends is quite another thing. You cannot extend the event and spend a month in Italy or can you? You can? Wow, I’m impressed. I cannot and I plan to roll with the punches. There will be plenty. I guarantee it.
Posted by: Stefan Waltermann | June 5, 2007 12:46 PM
The idea of qualifying standards does not look so bad to me. Because of the large difference in the quality of participants some competitions like high jump and pole vault become very long. 3-4 hours might not be unusual. Especially because 2 age groups jump together. Within the same competition you might have people jumping 100 cm and 200cm. Does that make sense?
Posted by: Milan Jamrich | June 5, 2007 3:02 PM
How about this one, we are both competing in the 80 m Hurdles - women 40 and 45 with the final at Riccione Stadium. Manndy will also on the same day compete in the triple jump and I will also compete on the same day in the High Jump, both events being held at the at the second stadium 5 Kilometers away. If both events are on at the same time and because of IAAF rule 142.4 we will have to drop one event. This in annoying as we are both past medal holders in both our respective events.
This is not only our problem there are roughly about 5 women entered in in both these events in both our age groups.
We now have to wait until we arrive to be able to make our decision - maybe we will be luckly and be competing in the morning and the afternoon but as luck goes we will probably find both events on at the same time so we will have to drop one of events and loose the chance of a medal.
Posted by: Wendy and Manndy Laing | July 7, 2007 1:46 AM