OUT OF THE BOX out of the box by NORRIE WILLIAMSON
The Elephant in the Room
Athletics events , including road running , track and field and other running disciplines , have begun to take place again since the beginning of November , but questions remain as to what can or can ’ t be done , given the strict race regulations issued by Athletics South Africa ( ASA ) and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases ( NCID ). As a result , road running is currently limbodancing towards the year-end , and the objective now is to find clubs willing to bend over backwards to get under the bar of these regulations .
Therefore , longer races actually become safer than short races at the finish , as there is more time between finishers , who are easier to usher out of the race venue . Similarly , if one can evolve a solution for the first water table , then every table thereafter would be easier to resolve . Meanwhile , the impact of the 500-person limit increases the cost per entrant of COVID provisions , as this substantial increase on normal race costs would be better split over more numbers .
ASA is adamant that the strict conditions and restrictions for the sport to reopen were given to them by the NICD , and is not something they could negotiate . ASA counters that athletics is the only sport that was allowed to have both professional and amateur athletes return to competition together , although cycling and triathlon may disagree with that statement .
It ’ s not that we don ’ t want to return to races , but rather that the requirements for hosting an event are restrictive and don ’ t create a viable solution for most clubs and organisers . As always , there are multiple views around the current circumstances , and as they say , ‘ depending where you are on the elephant , the view is different ,’ but it ’ s only when you stand back that you can truly see the size of the elephant , and its impact on the big picture .
ASA Taking Responsibility
We need to accept that ASA does have a responsibility to ensure the safety of the sport , and there is good reason to limit the numbers to 500 runners per event at this time . Let ’ s be honest … South African runners are ( unfortunately ) not the most disciplined , and if we can ’ t get compliance with rules from 500 runners , it would be a considerably greater challenge to control bigger events . As runners , we have brought this on ourselves , due to past behaviour .
Furthermore , the need to screen and check temperatures has become de rigor in all activities , so nothing unreasonable there , and chances are that will remain with us into the future . The screening will , of course , become more efficient , as has already been seen in some countries . For example , Dubai uses thermal cameras at major malls to monitor all customers at checkpoints , and only those who show up as a risk are stopped about 10 to 15 metres after the camera . There is thus minimal disruption of flow .
By comparison , our current systems require the creation of safety perimeters and one-on-one interaction . This is not made any easier by the early pre-dawn starts , nor that we live in a nation with vast diversity of transport , technical and personal resources . What one runner can do in a car on a smart phone , another runner is restricted to doing with pen and paper after a taxi ride to get to a race .
COVID Regulation Concerns
That all said , the primary race concerns are around the restriction to a 10km maximum distance and just one refreshment table . The fact is that handling a 500-person start gathering is the same , no matter what the race distance , and the irony of this ruling is that once the start solution is worked out , everything else generally becomes easier , because the further the race goes , the smaller the numbers per minute as the field spreads out .
Different Sets of Rules ?
Meanwhile , there are many trail running events taking place , some as long as 100km . The ASA standpoint is that these events fall under its jurisdiction , and these events should therefore be reported to the police for not adhering to the ASA / NICD regulations . If there is reporting to be done , it is unreasonable for this responsibility to lie with individuals , or even clubs , given that many such events are organised by commercial companies or groupings , who would probably argue their case on legal and constitutional grounds .
The long-standing rule in South Africa , even pre- ASA , is that events are to be hosted by clubs . Apart from control of event standards and safety , it is the percentage of entry fees paid over to provincial bodies that sustain the athletic structure . It is therefore up to ASA and its substructures to act on the apparently numerous ‘ abuses ’ of its rules and to report these events to the SAPS and the Ministry . Trying to pass on that responsibility is similar to government making anti-corruption rules , but failing to enforce them within its own parties and membership . If a rule is to be established , have the integrity to apply it , starting at home .
If trail running is under ASA – and internationally it does fall under the World Athletics umbrella – then surely it is for ASA and the 19 provincial bodies to
Image : Action Photo SA & Shawn Benjamin / Ark Images
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ISSUE 135 NOVEMBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za