Inside the bologna factory: Scheduling at Riccione worlds
The schedule of the 17th World Masters Athletic Championships is not set in stone. But it’s like mystery meat. You don’t wanna know what goes into it. OK, maybe you’re a bit curious. With nearly 9,000 athletes entered at Riccione — the biggest track meet in WMA history — the Italian organizers have a heckuva challenge squeezing hundreds of races and field events through three stadiums in 10 competition days over a 12-day period. Some have heard that the running event finals for the two sexes would be held in different stadiums. Others fear having to make a mad dash between stadiums to do their events. But if you thought those are worst cases, think again.
The Riccione schedule is going to be brutal for some events and age groups. My masters moles have shared info on the making of the schedule — and how WMA officials have worked to avert some real idiocies.
According to one source, “The (local organizing commitee’s) first few schedule proposals . . . contained some very strange and unworkable proposals like doing all the hammer throws during the decathlon and heptathlon. This is complete unrealistic as the heptathletes are throwing the javelin into the same fields as the hammer and the decathletes are throwing both the discus and the javelin into the same fields as the hammer.”
WMA Vice President-Stadia Rex Harvey writes me: “There are 348 men doing the decathlon, and 95 women doing the heptathlon, and they alone will need the discus and the javelin fields practically all day”.
Finally WMA officials gave the Riccione LOC a workable general schedule — based on a lot of hard experience from the previous eight WMA World Outdoor Championship. But then the Riccione LOC went ahead and published the entry booklet without the fine-tuning, and even the required approval, of the WMA Council.
As you can see, there are some strange things in that entry schedule, like scheduled preliminaries and quarterfinals and semifinals in the 100 and 200 for even the 100-year-old men and women. Of course, there aren’t any M100 or W100 entrants this year but there are 80, 85, 90, and even 95 and the same thing applies.
WMA rules require everyone, even the single 95-year-old, to turn in their declaration cards and report on the first day their event is scheduled even though a preliminary most likelywill not be required in most cases. Still, they will have to report and be sent away until the scheduled final. (And those who don’t report on the first day are liable to be dropped from the competition.)
For the M85 sprinters, this is no hypothetical case.
“For example, if an M85 100m competitor sees that there are only 13 entrants (in his event), he figures that’s a semifinal and a final, both of which are scheduled on the second day of 100 competition,” one source tells me. “So he doesn’t even show up the first day of the 100. Unfortunately, he will be dropped from the competition as the WMA rule 8 (5) states that competitors must report for the first scheduled round of their event.
“The appropriate round will be run on that first scheduled day (a semifinal in this case) and, if necessary, subsequent rounds will be canceled as necessary (in this case; the second round preliminary in the afternoon of the first day and the 3rd round preliminary in the morning of the second day of the 100m) with the finals always being run at finals time (in this case probably in the evening of the second day of 100m.
“There is even a chance that the 13 will scratch down to 8 on the morning of that first day and those eight will not run that day at all but will be sent away until finals time. And, of course, someone who did not report the morning of the first scheduled day ready to run, would have no chance of getting in as all people must qualify through all of the rounds.”
I also have learned that the original Riccione proposed schedule envisioned contesting all the javelin throws in one day.
“This would have required doing 38 javelin qualifying and final flights in one day starting at 0900 in the morning,” a source tells me. “At an average hour and half per flight (including warm-up and competition time) that would have been 57 hours of javelin throwing. Or 19 hours per stadium. Making this even more impractical is the fact that the two main stadiums now have synthetic fields, so no (or little) throwing. Other, off field javelin areas have been built -but, to date, not two in all stadiums.”
The original LOC proposed schedule also proposed two days off. But not for regional assemblies, committee meetings or the WMA General Assembly like usual. These two days would just be so people “could do touristy things.”
As far as the assemblies and meetings, the LOC suggested that they be held in the evenings of the competition days. “So if the General Assembly started at 6 p.m. and if it went the 11 hours as in San Sebastian, it would be done at 0500 which seems to be just time for a quick nap before starting competition again at 0900.”
I’m told that final details of the schedule — including location of events — are still being worked out between local organizers and WMA Technical Officials (vice-presidents of Stadia and Non-Stadia) who are the final authority for scheduling matters.
Rex, the WMA stadia veep, says: “8,900 competitors is a real challenge. Even though Japan was larger overall, certainly this is the most Stadia competitors that we have ever had. . . . . I don’t know for sure, but I will recommend that the detailed schedule be put on the LOC site once it is developed and approved — and then people can rightfully complain about it.”
He goes on to say, “I can confidently predict that not everyone will be satisfied. I think it is obvious that a meet with 8,900 competitors and 784 events is very complex and not everyone will get exactly what they would like in the way of scheduling. WMA does its best to avoid common doubles, but those that do the race walk and the pole vault (and there are a very few of those types entered) are not given as much consideration as the majority who do more common doubles, and triples.
“In contrast, the IAAF World Championships in Osaka this year will only have 48 events, a mere 6 percent of what WMA has — a relative cakewalk for those organizers.”
On the positive side, Rex relates: “In the interest of the athletes, WMA is taking timely action to adopt advancement rules to insure that, in Riccione and from now on, there are no more than three rounds in the 800 and no more than two rounds in the 1500 no matter how many competitors may enter.”
9 Responses
looking at the schedule online today – nothing has changed – there are still prelims, semis and finals scheduled all the way up to age 100 men and women – and those of us who are competing for several events – and who are highly unlikely to have a semi-final, never mind a prelim – it means turning up for the prelim so that can be told to come back for the semi – which may be unlikely to be run – and then for the final.
So much for being able to take a couple of days for a sightseeing trip – The sights I will be seeing will all be at the 3 venues. Since I turned 60 – more than a decade ago – never have I had to run a prelim nor a semi in the 1500m, only once in the 800 in 1999 at Gateshead when they ran the semi to eliminate one person – truly stupid thing to do, and never a prelim for the 400.
Now in the W 70 age group – we have enough numbers for a semi in the 400 and perhaps in the 800, but no prelims. There are 12 of us in the 1500 – a semi-final to eliminate 4 and have us start in lanes – that would be a first for me! For the older women – even fewer competitors – and will Louise Adams have to turn up for a prelim for the 400 and 800 – only 2 competitors in the 400 and she is the only one in the 800 – in the W 85 age group.
And then there is the controversial division by gender in events – with the men in one stadium running – say the 100 and the women doing the same in another stadium. This is a model I hope will NOT be followed in future meets.
However it seems that each LOC is free to reinvent the wheel re scheduling without input from WMA leadership except at the last moment to prevent a mess – such as trying to have the hammer throw at the same time as the decathalon and the heptathalon. Do the schedulers have a clue about track and field?
A more general question, if these events continue to rise in the number of participants, how many places can organize them? How many places have 3-4 stadia available for this competition?
Milan
We might be picking on them too early. look at their list of participants – published in two different ways. The best ever. Milan
I’d imagine prelims being considered finals in events with few competitors. I’d bet it ends up being a wonderful experience. Good luck to all who are fortunate enough to go!!!
It seems some people posted comments here without reading all of Ken’s blog posting. The most important paragraphs in it state:
“I’m told that final details of the schedule — including location of events — are still being worked out between local organizers and WMA Technical Officials (vice-presidents of Stadia and Non-Stadia) who are the final authority for scheduling matters.
Rex, the WMA stadia veep, says: “8,900 competitors is a real challenge. Even though Japan was larger overall, certainly this is the most Stadia competitors that we have ever had. . . . . I don’t know for sure, but I will recommend that the detailed schedule be put on the LOC site once it is developed and approved — and then people can rightfully complain about it.”
So why are people still complaining about something that will not happen — at least not the way it is currently posted. People who know track and field are the people in charge here and they are doing everything they can to avoid bad situations not of their making. Let’s wait to see the REAL schedule before complaining any more.
This is supposed to be a world championship. There are many people entered who obviously do not take the sport seriously and have not trained for the events. Let them compete in local meets. Many of us train seriously 12 months a year and competing against dilettantes is extremely distracting.
Tom Fahey said: “This is supposed to be a world championship. There are many people entered who obviously do not take the sport seriously and have not trained for the events. Let them compete in local meets. Many of us train seriously 12 months a year and competing against dilettantes is extremely distracting.”
Yet, nobody wants to talk about qualifying standards… Milan
Tom, I guess your comments are based on the seed times. I may be the slowest seed in my events, but I don’t think many people take the sport more seriously than I do. I train 12 months of the year as well. I do find guys lapping me distracting – but I don’t mind it. I give them a cheer.
Perhaps if there are qualifying standards in the future, I’ll start an association based on an open entry where everyone tries their best and has fun…..oh, that’s what we’ve got now. 🙂
Funny how some folks who are just too slow, too awkward, too something, have the time and money to travel a considerable distance (for most of us) spend lots of money for up to 2 weeks at a track meet – and then be called dilettantes. Yup – that is me – just a lazy dilettante – seed times are often pretty phony – I see some times claimed by person whom I have competed against – and they may be “personal bests” – done – a long time ago.
And I put down times that I have actually run fairly recently – so I may look like the slowest of the slow – but I have yet to finish dead last.
This upcoming WMA meet will be my 9th world meet. I have yet to experience one where there were not problems with the schedule, errors made that were inexcusable, etc – and with the large numbers due in Riccione – there will be problems for sure. Hopefully the schedule that they finally use will be based upon common sense, reflect the good judgment of Rex Harvey (who knows more than anyone else in WMA about scheduling) and do a decent job under difficult circumstances.
What I do not understand – and probably never will understand – is why WMA supervision is not imposed on the scheduling process from the start. Each LOC is left to reinvent the wheel so it seems. However politics being politics – probably that unavoidable – who wants the WMA telling a LOC what to do. USATF Masters has the same problem with National Masters meets too.
Oh well – it just gives those of us who like to sit on the sidelines and criticize something to complain about! Nothing quite like being a sideline genius!
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