Having made it to the USA for the World Champs , Isaac was glad to have some supporters from home to cheer him on
Why Rules Exist
The base rule in sport is that no athlete should enjoy an unfair advantage . This obviously guides most performance rules in our sport , relating to distance , time and behaviour on the course , all of which are covered in the WA rules . There are also rules dealing with health and safety , such as spacing of refreshment station , the need for traffic control , the ability to reach collapsed runners , etc . Rules also exist for records and rankings to be on an even playing field , and in road running this includes the maximum allowed separation of start and finish , and the drop in height from start to finish .
The sport is then controlled for administrative purposes in terms of membership from WA , through national federations , to clubs , athletes , coaches , athletes ’ representatives ( ARs ) or TOs , etc . These rules assist in responsibility and accountability issues as well as the communication and structure of the sport . Realistically the only rules that should trump performance are those concerned with health and safety . Where this is a problem , the event would probably be stopped , or not even started in the first place . However , the real challenges commence when administrative rules override performance rules . Therefore , there are additional rules to try to eliminate administrative challenges before an event .
One of these is the provision of a pre-race call room , not only ensures the correct ( entered and registered ) athletes are there , but that their attire is correct in terms of numbers , shoes , headphones and technical gear , as well as advertising rules , which at World and National Championships level do not allow alcohol , smoking and gambling , etc , and limit the size of allowable branding .
To ensure these and other technical matters are in place , the rules require the local , national or world federations to appoint technical delegates ( TDs ) to work with and assist the race organisers in the preparation and implementation of the event . For example , under rules 1 and 19 , ASA requires national and provincial TD ’ s at a National Championships as
Isaac had already represented his country at the 2019 World Champs in Doha well as major events on the world calendar , such as label events .
The Durban Case Study
Importantly , this event was the ASA Marathon Championships nested within the Durban International Marathon event , which offered 42.2km , 21.1km and 10km distances . Being a national championship and a provincial fixture meant there were both provincial and national TD ’ s on duty , and the desire to be an international marathon meant that foreign athlete participation was an objective .
The entry rules stated no temporary licenses , which was probably targeting local runners , as these are not allowed in ASA Championships , and provincial teams must comprise of registered club members . No doubt this caused some confusion , as the rules also require foreign athletes to have temporary licenses , and those local participants not selected for their province could run with a temporary licence in the open section of the Durban International Marathon , and of course the 21km and 10km sections .
There was no formal call room for the primary 42km event , but in fairness , in road running it is often possible to create a ‘ call room ’ at the front section of the race where the elite athletes and contenders congregate at the front . In recent years ( under ASA rule 7 ), events have implemented contender start batches , making it easier for referees to inspect the runners to reduce administrative omissions in an informal call room . This was the case in May , and the referee did inspect Mpofu , although he had an upper covering due to the cold .
By inspecting an athlete in a call room , the TO effectively clears the athlete to compete , or gets him / her to correct any errors before being allowed into the competition arena . Errors and omissions will always happen , due to human nature , but strangely in this case , it was the same TO who then disqualified the athlete at the finish .
Protest and Appeal
Fact , the athlete did not have a temporary license , but between the ‘ no temporary license ’ statement in the rules and the inspection , was it the foreign athlete ’ s intent to break the rule ? It is the athlete ’ s responsibility to know and abide by rules , assisted by his / her manager or AR , but it ’ s also the responsibility of the TD ’ s and organisers to ensure the call room is in place and operational , and the responsibility of the TO ’ s to do their complete inspection process . So , it would seem many had a share in this unfortunate incident .
The verbal appeal to the chief referee , who had undertaken the DQ , was rejected , meaning a written appeal was made , and probably without the full facts or appreciation of the situation . However , this was further flawed by the incorrect composition of jury of appeal , which failed to meet the WA or ASA standards
( WA rule CR12 and TR8 , ASA rule 19.2 ), as it included both TD ’ s , both of whom would have had to admit they had failed to ensure the correct technical structures were in place if they accepted the appeal . It was a clear conflict of interest .
This continued when the Zimbabwean federation appealed , as the letter was correctly directed to the National Technical Committee , but in this case , at least two members of that committee were on the race-day jury of appeal . Although the opportunity existed to then request a review , the limited time for World Championship selection made it necessary to push the appeal higher , hence it went to WA .
Learning Lessons
Case studies are opportunities . This one surely shows the need for organisers to focus first on getting the all technical matters correct , and then to build the ‘ eventing ’ around that foundation . Secondly , it shows the danger of people being caught in situations where they need to swallow pride and accept some degree of responsibility . In this case , every involved party , from athlete and manager to TD , TO and organiser , failed to fully meet their expectations , and it had a devastating outcome .
Thankfully , the first corrective step has been taken : Performance has won the day , and the athlete will hopefully be rewarded properly for his wonderful run … because the time is ripe for common sense to take over .
Isaac is one of Zimbabwe ’ s leading long distance athletes on track and road
About the Author
Norrie represented Scotland and Great Britain in numerous ultra-distance events , then represented South Africa in triathlon . He is a World Athleticsaccredited coach and course measurer , and travels all over the world to work on events , including the Olympics . He has been appointed by World Athletics as Technical Delegate to a number of the world ’ s leading Label events in Africa , Asia and the Middle East . He has authored two books ( Everyman ’ s Guide to Distance Running and Every Beginner ’ s Guide to Walking & Running ), and counts 20 Comrades medals amongst his more than 150 ultra-marathon medals , as well as multiple wins at distances from 100km to 1000km . You can read more from him at www . coachnorrie . co . za .
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