USATF officials get an official Code of Ethics: No smoking!
The USATF National Officials Committee also did some business last December at Reno. They approved an official’s Code of Ethics. Unsure if this is a first, but it’s new to me. Among other things, officials can’t smoke, drink or chew tobacco while overseeing events. Didn’t know these were a problem. But now y’all know what to look for in an ethical official. Most officials I’ve been associated with have been pretty competent and courteous. A few have been horse’s asses. But I didn’t see equine derrieres mentioned in the code. So I guess you can’t legislate niceness.Check out the list.
Official’s Code of Ethics
The USA Track & Field Officials Committee expects all officials to adhere
to the highest standards of ethics, honesty, and integrity. This Code of Ethics
guides officials’ conduct in general; it cannot prescribe behavior in every
possible situation. Membership may be withdrawn for officials whose conduct is
inconsistent with this Code.
USATF Officials shall:
- Be fair, consistent, and impartial to ensure equitable
treatment for all competitors.- Have a thorough knowledge of the rules and procedures for the
particular event or position assigned and review them prior to a competition.- Cooperate with fellow officials to conduct competition in a
safe and professional manner. Be courteous and avoid confrontations or making
derogatory comments to athletes, coaches, spectators, or other officials.- Demonstrate respect and courtesy for other officials. Avoid
interfering with duties assigned to other officials or publicly questioning the
performance of other officials. Assist in correctly applying rules and support
final decisions rendered by chief officials. Provide and accept performance
feedback in a positive manner.- Honor all assignments and agreements made for performance of
officiating and support duties.- Not discriminate against any individual or group on the basis
of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, or other protected
characteristic.- Not engage in harassment by making unwelcome advances, remarks,
or display of materials where such would create an intimidating, hostile, or
offensive environment.- Not fraternize with athletes or coaches, provide tips or
comments which could be construed as coaching for any athlete, nor cheer for or
provide encouragement to particular athletes or teams during a competition.- Not use tobacco products while in the field of competition, nor
consume alcoholic products before or during a competition.- Not seek recognition or attention during a competition.
- Conduct an honest self-evaluation after each competition, to
identify errors made and areas for improvement; and be receptive to suggestions
for conducting events in the best possible manner in the future.
USATF officials launch blog for info and opinions
Mark Heckel of the USATF Three Rivers Association has taken charge of a blog meant to serve fellow track officials. Called COIN — Competition Officials Interchange Network — it’s pretty amateurish at the moment. But I suspect Mark will spiffy it up once he learns to deal with templates and such. Carroll DeWeese, a top masters official, informed folks of the new blog and added: “As you may have noticed with our other discussion forum, we had the spam problem. In this new blog, we will have a moderated forum, allowing Mark Heckel . . . to easily regulate the postings and eliminate the spam. We welcome you opinions, information and comments, please.”
USATF officials: Had no choice but to bar athlete
Give USATF credit. When they see a PR disaster, they’re quick out of the blocks. Within hours of my posting news that Britain’s Anthony Treacher had been told he couldn’t compete in Canada’s masters nationals (and was left hanging on USATF masters nationals), three major figures in USATF sent me reasons for the ban. Gary Snyder, who’s been USATF T&F masters chairman for only six months, wrote me: “As you know Anthony Treacher is a British citizen who was banned from competition by the British WMA National Governing Body. That action was approved by the WMA Law and Legislation Committee, under Section 8 (d) of the WMA Constitution.”
8 Responses
-
Francis A Schiro - May 28, 2007
As stated in a prior posting..I support Anthony Treacher 100%…i will NOT be attending the Nationals in Maine.I do not expect to be “missed” or for that matter even cared about. I do feel its important for me to stand BESIDE Anthony. Looks like I will be saving the $1200 i would have spent..ill run “local” and im lucky to have some very tough competition in the area. I really appreciate what Tom Fahey wrote in his post and agree with him not only in words but in my BEHAVIOR. I dont want to get too “emotional” about all this is but i assure you it makes my blood boil to see this fine athlete and GOOD man treated in this manner. A person who actually wanted to “follow the rules” and became a VICTIM….now the USA “officials” can do “damage control” after ignoring this man and make everything “nice”. Total B.S. Ken Stone THANK YOU for giving us a place to hear the TRUTH….we get less and less of it these days.
-
oldhurdler - May 28, 2007
I don’t think USATF is perfect but why are they getting the brunt of your anger. Should they not follow IAAF rules and end up getting OUR athletes banned from meets so that one guy can run in a meet? It sounds like the British WMA is the problem. THe one thing I like about Nationals is that it is run like a REAL MEET. In my experience it is one of the few Master’s meets that is. Maybe no one should follow any rules and every competition can be a big all-comers meet like most of them.
-
Dave Clingan - May 28, 2007
It seems to me that foreign athletes who compete in USA masters nationals are generally welcomed and treated as our guests. I seriously doubt that the affiliation status of all foreign athletes who compete as guests in the USA masters are given the kind of scrutiny Anthony has received. For example, I have a hunch that not all Canadians who compete as guests at Masters Nationals are checked to determine that they are actually registered members of the Canadian Federation. I’m fairly certain when I was allowed to compete as a guest at the Irish National Masters Championships a couple years ago, that anyone felt the need to determine whether or not I had paid by USATF dues. Is that what the meet directors should be doing?
Anthony probably forced the issue by making a high profile case out of himself, but it seems to me the practical solution is to consider all foreign athletes as “unnattached” and let them participate as guests regardless of their status vis a vis their own federation.
Maybe the rule should state:
Rule 1.1(b) says that our Masters T&F Championships “are open to all member athletes of USATF and guest athletes other countries.” I imagine this was orginally intended to insure the inclusivity of our championships (some countries do not allow foreigners) rather than a basis for exclusivity. -
Anthony Treacher - May 29, 2007
The USATF in fact had every reason to ACCEPT athlete.
UK Athletics (UKA) is the IAAF-recognised national athletics federation for athletics in the UK. For a UK citizen the requirement to compete in the UK or abroad is membership of a UKA-affiliated club, or an IAAF-affiliated club in the country of residence. Anthony Treacher is a member of the British club Southern Counties Veterans Athletics Club (SCVAC) which is UKA- and therefore IAAF-affiliated via a UK regional athletetics organisation. As a UK citizen of an IAAF-affiliated British club, Anthony Treacher is thus entitled to compete in the UK and abroad under IAAF rules.
Anthony Treacher is also a resident of Sweden. It is not always the case that a foreign resident of a country is or can be a member of a club in the country of nationality. The Swedish Athletics Association is the IAAF-recognised national federation for a resident of Sweden. Anthony Treacher is a member of a Swedish Athletics Association-affiliated club, IFK Lidingo. As a resident of Sweden Anthony Treacher is thus also entitled to compete in Sweden and abroad under IAAF rules as a member of a Swedish club.
The British Masters Athletics Federation (BMAF) is NOT the IAAF-recognised national federation for a UK citizen. The BMAF is NOT a part of UKA. By comparison, the US Masters are a part of their national organisation USATF. A suspension by a USATF masters athlete would therefore be made by that IAAF-affiliated national organisation. This is NOT the case in the BMAF ban where Anthony Treacher is only “disqualified from all masters competitions under the auspices of BMAF, both domestically and internationally”.
The BMAF is solely a masters federation that organises national British masters championships and national British masters team participation in international masters championships under the WMA and EVAA.
Anthony Treacher has NOT been “suspended by a IAAF member federation.” He has NOT been “suspended from the BMAF”. Anthony Treacher is only “disqualified from all masters competitions under the auspices of BMAF, both domestically and internationally”. The BMAF ban does NOT apply outside BMAF, WMA and EVAA organised meetings. The BMAF CANNOT otherwise prevent a British national from competing abroad.
Since the BMAF ban Anthony Treacher has competed in five competitions in Sweden under IAAF rules, including the Swedish Masters Indoor Championships, where he entered as “Open”. There the Swedish organisers explicitly referred to the BMAF ban and deliberately changed Anthony “Open” status, welcomed him as a regular Swedish resident competitor and allowed him to compete for the medals.
In the UK, Anthony Treacher’s entry to a BMAF-affiliated club’s regional championships in June 2007 has been accepted with reference to the applicable BMAF, UKA and IAAF rules. That is on the BMAF’s doorstep.
If Anthony Treacher is allowed to compete according to IAAF rules in Sweden and the UK, why did the American and Canadian masters oppose his entry? Has it anything to do with his ongoing criticism of BMAF and WMA masters officials originating in the WMA-BMAF Linz Scandal?
Incidentally, the eligibility question is now academic as Anthony Treacher will not compete in the US and Canada anyway.
I am no lawyer. If anything is wrong in the above, please contact me and I will correct it. It is worth the trouble. -
Leigh - May 31, 2007
Sorry, but it’s beginning to sound extremely antogonistic, and it seems that the story keeps changing. Good luck in Europe Mr. Treacher.
-
RICHARD GABBOUR - November 9, 2009
MY NAME IS RICHARD GABBOUR. I AM PHYSICALLY
CHALLENGE BUT I RUN EVERY WEEKEND OF THE YEAR ” 5K, 10K, MINI-MARATHON, HALF MARATHON. FROM FEBRUARY TILL END OF DECEMBER. I WILL TELL YOU A BIT ABOUT MYSELF : I WAS HIT BY A CAR, FELL INTO THE COMMA FOUR MONTH, WOKE UP BLIND “COULD NOT SEE”, THEN I FOUND MY EYE SIGHT BACK “TUNNEL VISION”. I WAS ON A WHEEL CHAIR FOR ONE YEAR. ONE DAY I PUSHED IT AND SAID “NO MORE”. NOW I CAN WALK ON MY OWN. MY RIGHT SIDE IS SLOWER “ARM, LEG”. HERE IS MY TIME
5K : 50 MINUTES
10K : 1 HOUR 50 MINUTES
MINI MARATHON : 3 HOUR 14 MINUTES
MARATHON : 4 HOUR 25 MINUTES
I WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN NEW YORK MARATHON. AND IMPROVE MY SPPED FOR RUNNING RACES. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME FIND A VOLUNTEER COACH
MY ADDRESS :
9924 TIMBERS DRIVE, CINCINNATI, OHIO 45242
O – 513 469 6044
H – 513 791 0990
RICHARD GABBOUR -
NEED TO CHANGE THIS :
MARATHON : 4 HOUR 25 MINUTES
TO
HALF MARATHON : 4 HOUR 25 MINUTES -
I AM PHYSICALLY CHALLENGE. AND I NEED YOUR HELP.
MY NAME IS
” RICHARD GABBOUR ”
I WILL TELL YOU A BIT ABOUT MYSELF :
I WAS HIT BY A CAR IN 1976. FELL INTO THE COMMA FOUR MONTH. WOKE UP BLIND \”COULD NOT SEE\”, THEN I FOUND MY EYE SIGHT BACK \”TUNNEL VISION\”. I WAS ON A WHEEL CHAIR FOR ONE YEAR . ONE DAY I PUSHED AND SAID \” NO MORE\”. NOW I CAN WALK ON MY OWN. I AM 45 YEARS OLD. SINCE 1991 I BEGAN TO COMPETE IN RUNNING RACES.
5K 3.1 MILES 50 MINUTES
10K 6.2 MILES 1 HOUR 50 MINUTES
MINI MARATHON 9.1 MILES 3 HOUR 14 MINUTES
HALF MARATHON 13.1 MILES 4 HOUR 45 MINUTES1) I USE TO HAVE TRANSPORTATION FROM MY HOME TO RUNNING RACES, AND BACK MRDD USE TO PAY ME A TAXI
MRDD WENT BROKE
I NEED TRANSPORTATION FREE OF CHARGE
5) I NEED A VOLUNTEER TO PICK ME UP AT MY HOME, RUN BESIDE, BACK
I DO RUN A RUNNING RACE EVERY WEEKEND OF THE YEAR. FROM FEBRUARY TILL END OF DECEMBER1) FEB 12, SUNDAY 12:00PM NORTHERN KENTUCK UNIVERSITY 100 NUNN DR. NEWPORT, KY 41099
2) MAR. 3 9:00AM FOOD ON THE RUN 10K 801 W. PETE ROSE WAY, CINCINATI, OHIO
3) MAR. 10 6:30AM – 8:30AM SHAMROCK SHUFFLE 10K 9102 WEST CHESTER TOWNE CENTRE DRIVE, WEST CHESTER, OH 45069
4) MAR 17 SAT 10:00AM HEART MINI PICK UP 5TH & ELM 45202 Duke Energy Center – Hall C (Cincinnati Convention Center) Duke Energy Center – Hall C
5) MAR 18 SUNDAY 5:30AM – 7:45AM HEART MINI MARATHON 200 e 5th St, Cincinnati, OH United States (Cincinnati Convention Center)
6) MAR 31 SAT 9:00AM Purcell Marian Cavalier 5k Hackberry St & Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45206
7) APR 1, SAT 11:00AM Gorilla Run
8) APR 7 SAT 7:00AM – 9:00AM Run for the American Dream 10K Winton Woods Park, 10245 Winton Road Cincinnati, OH 45231 513-541-4109
10) APR 15, SUN 9:00AM Teddy Bear 5K 317 E. 5th st. 45202 us11) APR 21, SAT 9:00AM St. Josephs Home 5K 10722 Wyscarver Rd Cincinnati, OH
12) APR 21, SAT 3:30PM RAT RACE 10K PAXTON GRILL 126 W LOVELAND AVE, LOVELAND 45140
12) Apr 22 Sun. 8:30:00 AM Run for the Lions 5535 Pfeiffer Rd Cincinnati, OH
13) APR 28 SAT 9:30AM Run it Forward 5K Run Sharon Woods Park US 42, Sharonville, OH 45241
14) MAY 4, FRI 10:00AM PICK UP NUMBER FLYING PIG HALF MARATHON 525 ELM STREET, CINCINNATI, OHIO
15)
16) MAY 6, SUN 4:00AM FLYING PIG HALFf MARATHON Start west of Elm on Mehring Way
MAY 12, SAT 7:00AM SPECIAL OLYMPICS 120 ANNA STREET LOCKLAND HIGH SCHOOL, CINCINNATI, OHIO
17) MAY 19, SAT 8:30:00 AM Forest Hills 5K [1200-1359] Nagel Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45255
18) May 26 Sat. 9:30:00 AM RGI River Run & Walk 5k benefiting Kicks for Kids 3rd and saratoga newport, ky us
19) May 27 Sun. 9:00:00 AM Mariemont 5K 3812 Pocahontas Ave. 45227
20) JUNE 2 SAT
21) Jun 9 Sat. 9:00:00 AM Run for the Poor 5k 5900 Buckwheat Rd 45150
22) Jun 16 Sat. 8:30:00 AM Lungs on the Run 5KWest Chester Hospital, 7700 University Dr, West Chester, OH 45069
23) 22 JUNE FRIDAY 6:30AM – 8:30AM SPECIAL OLYMPICS 4999 KINGSLEY DRIVE 45227
JUNE 24 SUN 2:00:00PM PICK UP FROM 4999 KINGSLEY DRIVE 45227
24) Jul 4 Wed.. BEGIN RACE AT 6:00:00 AM JULY 4, 2012 RACE 10500 READING ROAD
25) Jul 14 Sat 9:00:00 AM Natalie Fly Thru the Park 5K Miami Meadows Park, Clermont County, OH
26) JUL 29, SAT 8:00AM Jenny Evans Road Contact: Matt Wissman 513-259-6955 Email : Jjanevans@aol.com Fairfield High School 8800 HOLDEN BLVD. FAIRFIELD 45014
27) AUG 5, SUN 8:30AM CABVI’s Know You Can 5K 4521 Spring Grove Ave, CINCINNATI, OHIO 513-777-1080
28) AUG 11, SAT 9:00AM NEWTOWN 3130 Newtown Road, Newtown, OH
29) AUG 18, SAT 9:00:00 AM WCPO TV Kroger Big K 5K 1 W River Center Blvd, Covington, KY 41011-1462
30) AUG 18, SAT 8:30:00 AM Forest Park Charge 5K 1231 West Kemper Rd Cincinnati, OH
AUG 23 THUR 7:30PM Fox and Hound 5K 1 Levee Way # 1113, Newport, KY 41071
31) AUG 26 SAT 8:00am 8th Annual Friendship City 5K 401 Kenton Lands Road, Erlanger, KY 41018
32) SEP 2 SUN 8:00:00 AM The Cheetah Run 5K 3400 VINE ST Cincinnati, OH 45220 (Cincinnati Zoo)
33) Sep 3 Mon. 8:30:00 AM Mercy Metric 5K & 10K 4759 Playfield Lane Cincinnati, Ohio 45226
34) SEPT 8 SAT 9:00AM Panerathon 5K – West Chester
35) SEPT 8 SAT 6:00PM Run To Remember 5K
36) Sep 22 Sat. 8:00:00 AM Mustang Stampede 5k
37) Sep 30 Sun. 4:00AM STATE TO STATE HALF MARATHON 30 WEST PARK PLACE, OXFORD 45056
38) Oct 6 Sat. 8:00AM Wyoming Fun Run – Tentative HILLTOP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 425 OLIVER ROAD, CINCINNATI, OHIO 45215
39) Oct 6 Sat. 6:00PM Ault Park Dr. and Heekin Cincinnati, OH Ault Park Dr. and Heekin Cincinnati, OH
40) Oct. 13 Sat. 8:00AM Cincinnati Undy 5000 2nd and Joe Nuxhall Way, 45202
41) OCT 13 SAT 1:00PM JCC Mayerson JCC, 8485 Ridge Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
42) OCT 13 SAT 6:00PM RUNNING SCARED 1600 West St, Cincinnati, OH 45215
43) OCT 27 SAT 9:45AM FREEDOM RUN Owl’s Nest Park Owl’s Nest Park
Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45208
513.333.7500 or 877.648.483844) NOV 3 SAT 8:30AM Fighting Hunger 5K
45) NOVEMBER 4, SUN 6:00AM Mason Half Marathon Mason Middle School, 6370 Mason Montgomery Road, Mason, OH 45040
46) NOV 4, SUN 9:00AM Fear the Cliff 5K Run or Walk and 10K Run
47) NOV 10 SAT 9:00AM Sycamore Challenge 5K SYCAMORE RD AT PLAINFIELD RD 45242
48) NOV 17 SAT 5:00:00 PM Holiday in Lights 5k Run/Walk 11450 Lebanon Rd/Rt. 42 Sharonville, OH
49) NOV 22 THUR 6:00AM THANKSGIVING DAY RACE 1 PAUL BROWN STATIUM
50) NOV 24 SAT 8:00am STRAIGHT STREET 511 Straight Street, Cincinnati 45219
51) DEC 8, SAT 10:00:00 AM Jingle Bell Run 5K 1 West River Center Blvd Covington, Ky
52) DEC 15 SAT 10:00AM EGG NOG JOG 1108 St. Gregory Street, 45202MY ADDRESS :
9924 TIMBERS DRIVE, CINCINNATI, OHIO 45242
O – 513 469 6044
H – 513 791 0990RICHARD GABBOUR
Leave a Reply
USATF officials updated on changes in masters throws
USATF’s rule book ain’t right. At least when it comes to some masters throws. So says a note to USATF officials. I mentioned this before. But the following missive goes into greater detail. It begins: “The Superweight table in the 2007 USATF Rule book Rule 332.3g on page 189 was not updated.”
2 Responses
Now this is best thing I’ve heard out of that meeting yet…great job USATF!
seriously…are you kidding me?
I think I’ll have a chaw of tobacco during my next race to get that whiskey smell off my breath.lol
Leave a Reply