|
|
|
| 4/7/2003 |
IAAF tightens false start rule
|
|
|
9:12:35 AM
Dakar, April 7 - The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced Sunday it was clamping downon athletes staging protests against being disqualified under its new false start rule.
The stricter new rules stipulate that only one false start is allowed per race subsequent to which any runner committing a second false start is disqualified even if it is his first offence.
That caused confusion and an embarrasing delay at the recent world indoors championships in Birmingham when British sprinter Allyn Condon refused to leave the track after being disqualified for a first offence.
Condon eventually competed in the 200m final "under protest" despite being officially disqualified although he was not among the top three finishers.
The IAAF council meeting here said that while being satisfied that the new false start rule was working well in practice, a new line would be added to ensure there would not be a repetition of the Birmingham incident.
The council proposed adding a clause to the rule to clarify that protests should not be allowed in competitions where there is anautomatic recall equipment which cleary indicates false starts.
The recommendation will go for approval before the IAAF congress held prior to August's world championships in Paris.
|
|
|
