ATHLETICS NEEDS "TEAM RACES" !

                                    
Theoretically the IAAF wants records to be  achieved by one individual athlete, without any help from other competitors.   Alas, instances have occurred when an athlete  has been helped to win by fellow nationals, or been helped by a conniving friend, in the same race.

Will the IAAF decide to limit competitors to one per country, to eliminate "team help" in non-lane races ?   Would such a decision not encourage smaller countries to participate more by sending  more athletes ? 

Such a decision could also reveal the need for Relay Races or Team Races with 3, 4 or 5 athletes over the longer distances.   That innovation would permit the former "fellow national helpers" to compete in a more appropriate race !

Long team races would also definitely interest many of the African Countries : they have an enormous depth of natural long distance running talent.                                               

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ARE PAST IAAF WORLD RECORDS CORRECT ?

In the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London last week, were events won by athletes, with the help of  one or two other Competitors from their own country in the same race ?   

What is questionable is whether it is right to adopt as an individual World Record, a performance which is achieved when other countrymen are also participating in the same race ?   Should such a record not be registered only as a "National Record" but never as a "World Record" ?

In races longer than 400 metres, competitors are not obliged to remain in "lanes".   This is when "team" runners, could and do sometimes, start to help each other ! 

Hence the question arises whether all current IAAF World Records have been correctly recorded ? 

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MO FARAH SPLIT HIS ETHIOPIAN MINDERS !

In the 5 000 meters semi-final the two Ethiopian competitors ran as a team.   It was quite clear their aim was to prevent Mo Farah from winning the race, but he managed to slip through and was second.

Farah will have noted that the other semi-final was again won by an Ethiopian.   This means  there will be a team of 3 Ethiopians to "look after" Farah in the Final on Saturday, 12th August !   The aim will again be to prevent Farah from getting to the front of the race, either by boxing him in on the inside lane, or by making it hard for him to overtake them on the outside ! 

Farah has the experience and the physical strength to win through but, are there any rules to prevent or discourage "unsportman like" behaviour ?   How many times this week have we seen "accidents" resulting in athletes being tripped-up or knocked-over, or even being spiked ? 

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