ASK YOURSELF WHY
C o l u m n
The Video Evidence
Footage of the finish of the 2024 Beijing Half Marathon was widely shared on social media after word spread of the apparently rigged finish . Chinese runner He Jie crossed the finish line first , but speculation soon followed that the three African runners who tied for second had intentionally slowed down to facilitate his victory . The ensuing investigation cast a shadow over the athletics scene in China , and eventually led to the disqualification of all four athletes . know the rules of the sport they compete or work in , but this clearly was not the case here , as evidenced by the actions and comments by some very high-ranking administrators , officials and athletes alike .)
The Durban organisers ( at the time of writing ) are now facing a concern over an age category gold medal , due to an allegation of illegal pacing , and this , as with the Beijing race , will require them to go through an investigation and hearing process . This has the potential to impact not only the individual athlete ’ s results and medals , but also one of the team awards , and shows that an action by one athlete can impact the results , income and reputation of others . Also , I always pity those who were prevented from getting the true recognition on the day for their performances , because of the actions of those who choose to break rules , or break them due to not knowing the rules properly .
Fair Competition
If there is one principle that every person in any sport should keep at the forefront in their strategy , tactics and planning , it is this : “ Do nothing that tries to gain unfair advantage over other competitors .” These are two very unfortunate examples of why the sport has to be constantly vigilant , and needs to uphold the rules .
Africans ’ tactics , and they also wondered what was happening , and thus launched an investigation . While it seems the normal invitation and contract process had been followed for the three Africans , the primary breach was that they had not been declared as pacers . In effect , this implied that the rest of the field were actually racing against a ‘ team ,’ who were all committed to a specific result .
Pacing Rules of the Road
The comprehensive World Athletics rules and regulations actually only have limited notes about pacing , as can be seen below , but even so , it is clear that the race in Beijing did not fully comply with Rule 15.1 .
IN WORLD ATHLETICS C1.1 – COMPETITION RULES
Image : Narnabi / Wikimedia
By the end of the following week , some level of clarity had been achieved , and the decision taken to disqualify all four athletes . There were other significant impacts from this decision , in that the Beijing Half Marathon race owners have determined that the contracted organisers , China Olympic Road Race Sports Management Co , will no longer be used for future events , and that shoe company X-Tep has been removed from the list of event partners .
Meanwhile , the Chinese Athletic Association ( CAA ) has declared that it is engaged in the improvement of road running events . “ In general , the overall operation of road running events has been smooth ,” it said in a statement , “ but problems in the organisation and management of the events have also been exposed , which has aroused widespread concern .” During my trip to the CAA ’ s Wuxi National Marathon Championships and the Hangzhou Half Marathon , I had already witnessed the actions of their marathon office and national technical officials to improve the standards of road running in the country , and this is therefore part of the ongoing review and growth process , and proof of the CAA ’ s desire to raise the level of event organisation .
More Questions
This Beijing Half Marathon incident has served the sport well , in that it has highlighted the importance of adhering to the rules , an aspect that too many local runners seem to find unnecessary . It is an unfortunate fact that South Africa has , since the mid-1980s , evolved a culture that tends to look for ways to ‘ work around the rules ’ rather than abide by the rules . This is not simply in athletics , but rather across all aspects of society , from ‘ Number 1 ’ downwards .
At the time of writing , there are similar pacing questions being investigated in the recent Durban International Marathon , which doubled as the SA Marathon Championship event for 2024 . This comes despite the fact that the entire pacing rule , including impacts and requirements , was specifically discussed and explained to the provincial team managers and elite athletes present at the technical meeting prior to the race . It was initially stated that the Durban event would have no official pacers , but when the matter , and consequences , were raised in the pre-race meeting , suddenly at least four pacers were ‘ uncovered ,’ and thus steps were taken to ensure all managers and athletes present were aware of these opportunities .
Now , it is the provincial team managers ’ duty to then relate all discussions and information to their team members , irrespective of how experienced those athletes are . However , it seems some may not have relayed that message to their team members , concerning a standard rule that all elite athletes should know . ( Of course , athletes , managers and anyone involved in the sport are supposed to
6 Assistance to Athlete
Assistance Not Allowed 6.3 For the purpose of this Rule , the following examples shall be considered assistance , and are therefore not allowed :
6.3.1 . Pacing in races by persons not participating in the same race , by athletes lapped or about to be lapped , or by any kind of technical device ( other than those permitted under Rule 6.4.4 of the Technical Rules ).
IN WORLD ATHLETICS C1.6 – LABEL ROAD RACES REGULATIONS
15 Pacing
15.1 Pacemakers are authorised and should be clearly identifiable through a distinctive uniform or similar . To better promote the image of all international elite athletes , a pacemaker ’ s main bib shall include their name . If a pacemaker has no distinctive uniform , it is allowed to have the word “ PACE ” together with their name on the bib , or on a second bib to be placed either on the chest or on the back of the pacing athlete .
15.2 Athletes employed by Race Organisers as pacers are bona-fide competitors . They must start the competition together with all other international elite athletes , must be recorded in the race start list , timed like other international elite athletes , and if they complete the race they must be officially ranked .
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 on 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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