I ask that question because over the past few days I\u2019ve read many, many complaints about sprinters receiving a \u201cbye\u201d from the first round of the Olympics \u2013 based upon the changes to be instituted at this year\u2019s World Championships in Daegu. <\/p>\n
I raise the question not because I am opposed to the scheduling change as it will apply in Daegu, because I stated in my previous post that I am definitely in favor of that change. Instead I raise the issue because I AM opposed to the change for the Olympics \u2013 but NOT for the standard reasons that have been given.<\/p>\n
First off, let me clarify what I feel is a mistake on the part of many that also oppose this change for the Olympics. That mistake is in calling this scheduling change a \u201cbye\u201d \u2013 because apparently the reason for most of the vehemence on the part of many athletes and fans that do oppose this move is because they are against these sprinters getting a \u201cbye\u201d in the Games. I\u2019ve even some make statements as ridiculous as “It’s pretty much hanging medals around people’s necks before they’ve started.” . Really? I mean we are talking about 100 sprinters that won\u2019t be running four rounds \u2013 they will be running THREE. I don\u2019t think that qualifies as a \u201cbye\u201d. And unless they\u2019re handing out medals to 100 participants per event, I\u2019m not sure how that statement is remotely on track. <\/p>\n
What IS happening is that there will be a first round of athletes that have NOT made the \u201cA\u201d or \u201cB\u201d STANDARDS that will be given an opportunity to move on to those three rounds in spite of not making the standard. So there is no \u201cbye\u201d but rather the \u201copportunity\u201d to run in a race that you did not qualify for! A very important distinction.<\/p>\n
Because having said that, there is \u201ctheoretically\u201d a major philosophical difference between the Olympics and the World Championships \u2013 a difference that I feel is the tipping point between \u201copportunity\u201d and \u201cqualification\u201d!<\/p>\n
The Olympics is the world\u2019s quadrennial celebration of world wide brotherhood. It\u2019s a time when the nations of the world come together in what has become the planet\u2019s biggest \u201cKumbaya\u201d moment \u2013 performed under the banner of athletic competition. Under the Olympics’ five ring banner, every nation is invited to send at least one participant in every event to compete. Under that banner representation is the right of all \u2013 regardless of how good the athlete is. Because under the Olympic ideal it is participation, not performance that is the goal of the Games.<\/p>\n
Now we all know that the \u201cperception\u201d of the Olympics has changed from one of participation to that of the world\u2019s greatest sporting event. Regardless of perception however, as long as the tenets of the Games remain as they have been since it\u2019s modern inception by Pierre de Coupertin, the ideal that every nation has the right to participate means from the beginning of the competition until they are eliminated. Which in my book means that everyone starts at the same line \u2013 and in the sprints or whatever event that would mean from the first round until elimination! So there should not be a round where some participate for the \u201cprivilege\u201d of competing against the rest. Ergo no adoption of the IAAF rule for the World Championships. <\/p>\n
The World Championships, on the other hand, has established no pretext that it is anything other than a Championships competition. It was established with the sole purpose of determining the champions of track and field! The problem with respect to this conversation, is that the World Championships are patterned after the Olympic Games \u2013 and so people have come to look at them as \u201cthe same\u201d but with different names. As a matter of fact most consider the Olympics to be of higher prestige. Which is why I have said for a long time that the World Championships needs to develop an identity of it\u2019s own. Personally I would like to see the World Championships move to inviting only the top athletes to participate \u2013 moving it to more of a championships event than the Olympics\u2019 Kumbaya event. Until that happens, I think that having the top 100 run three rounds and having a \u201crun in\u201d round for those that DO NOT MEET THE STANDARD is a compromise that is moving in the right direction. So I support this format for the World Championships. <\/p>\n
For me it is not about how many times I see a particular athlete on the track, or if we are giving \u201cbyes\u201d to 100 athletes in a particular event. It is about maintaining the highest level of competition that can be assembled under each format. For Kumbaya that means allowing one athlete per event regardless of ability and send him\/her out there to take their shot against the rest of the world. For a pure Championship it means getting the best available together and let them go at it. Unfortunately we have a somewhat \u201chybrid\u201d championship event, which requires us to adopt a somewhat \u201chybrid\u201d rounds system for the sprints. <\/p>\n
So that\u2019s my story and I\u2019m sticking to it. A thumbs up for the schedule change for Worlds as it\u2019s a move in the right direction towards a pure championship. Thumbs down for the change for the Games because it is counter to the Kumbaya moment that has become the Olympic Games. What\u2019s good for the goose is not always good for the gander. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I ask that question because over the past few days I\u2019ve read many, many complaints about sprinters receiving a \u201cbye\u201d from the first round of the Olympics \u2013 based upon the changes to be instituted at this year\u2019s World Championships in Daegu. I raise the question not because I am opposed to the scheduling change as it will apply in Daegu, because I stated in my previous post that I am definitely in favor of that change. Instead I raise the issue because I AM opposed to the change for the Olympics \u2013 but NOT for the standard reasons that have been given. First off, let me clarify what I feel is a mistake on the part of many that also oppose this change for the Olympics. That mistake is in calling this scheduling change a \u201cbye\u201d \u2013 because apparently the reason for most of the vehemence on the part of many athletes and fans that do oppose this move is because they are against these sprinters getting a \u201cbye\u201d in the Games. I\u2019ve even some make statements as ridiculous as “It’s pretty much hanging medals around people’s necks before they’ve started.” . Really? I mean we are talking about 100 sprinters that won\u2019t be running four rounds \u2013 they will be running THREE. I don\u2019t think that qualifies as a \u201cbye\u201d. And unless they\u2019re handing out medals to 100 participants per event, I\u2019m not sure how that statement is remotely on track. What IS happening is that there will be a first round of athletes that have NOT made the \u201cA\u201d or \u201cB\u201d STANDARDS that will be given an opportunity to move on to those three rounds in spite of not making the standard. So there is no \u201cbye\u201d but rather the \u201copportunity\u201d to run in a race that you did not qualify for! A very important distinction. Because having said that, there is \u201ctheoretically\u201d a major philosophical difference between the Olympics and the World Championships \u2013 a difference that I feel is the tipping point between \u201copportunity\u201d and \u201cqualification\u201d! The Olympics is the world\u2019s quadrennial celebration of world wide brotherhood. It\u2019s a time when the nations of the world come together in what has become the planet\u2019s biggest \u201cKumbaya\u201d moment \u2013 performed under the banner of athletic competition. Under the Olympics’ five ring banner, every nation is invited to send at least one participant in every event to compete. Under that banner representation is the right of all \u2013 regardless of how good the athlete is. Because under the Olympic ideal it is participation, not performance that is the goal of the Games. Now we all know that the \u201cperception\u201d of the Olympics has changed from one of participation to that of the world\u2019s greatest sporting event. Regardless of perception however, as long as the tenets of the Games remain as they have been since it\u2019s modern inception by Pierre de Coupertin, the ideal that every nation has the right to participate means from the beginning of the competition until they are eliminated. Which in my book means that everyone starts at the same line \u2013 and in the sprints or whatever event that would mean from the first round until elimination! So there should not be a round where some participate for the \u201cprivilege\u201d of competing against the rest. Ergo no adoption of the IAAF rule for the World Championships. The World Championships, on the other hand, has established no pretext that it is anything other than a Championships competition. It was established with the sole purpose of determining the champions of track and field! The problem with respect to this conversation, is that the World Championships are patterned after the Olympic Games \u2013 and so people have come to look at them as \u201cthe same\u201d but with different names. As a matter of fact most consider the Olympics to be of higher prestige. Which is why I have said for a long time that the World Championships needs to develop an identity of it\u2019s own. Personally I would like to see the World Championships move to inviting only the top athletes to participate \u2013 moving it to more of a championships event than the Olympics\u2019 Kumbaya event. Until that happens, I think that having the top 100 run three rounds and having a \u201crun in\u201d round for those that DO NOT MEET THE STANDARD is a compromise that is moving in the right direction. So I support this format for the World Championships. For me it is not about how many times I see a particular athlete on the track, or if we are giving \u201cbyes\u201d to 100 athletes in a particular event. It is about maintaining the highest level of competition that can be assembled under each format. For Kumbaya that means allowing one athlete per event regardless of ability and send him\/her out there to take their shot against the rest of the world. For a pure Championship it means getting the best available together and let them go at it. Unfortunately we have a somewhat \u201chybrid\u201d championship event, which requires us to adopt a somewhat \u201chybrid\u201d rounds system for the sprints. So that\u2019s my story and I\u2019m sticking to it. A thumbs up for the schedule change for Worlds as it\u2019s a move in the right direction towards a pure championship. Thumbs down for the change for the Games because it is counter to the Kumbaya moment that has become the Olympic Games. What\u2019s good for the goose is not always good for the gander.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-7c","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":258,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=258","url_meta":{"origin":446,"position":0},"title":"Time to Tweak the World Championships","author":"CHill","date":"December 30, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I remember looking forward to the first World Championships back in 1983. We had boycotted the 1980 Olympics, so the last time the US had participated in a global championships had been the Games of 1976! So it had been an eternity for track fans salivating for a global event.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Track and Field: 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.picapp.com\/ftp\/Images\/5\/8\/3\/2\/Track_and_Field_3c02.JPG?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":542,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=542","url_meta":{"origin":446,"position":1},"title":"How Important Is Daegu?","author":"CHill","date":"August 1, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Or more to the point, how important are the World Championships? Where do they stand in the grand scheme of the sport? I ask because with just under a month until our \u201cBig Meet\u201d the season has seemed a bit, lackluster. Tyson Gay out. Usain Bolt subpar. Yelena Isinbayeva working\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=542#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh4.ggpht.com\/-c510PB3jByo\/Tjbc6jQ3qdI\/AAAAAAAAATM\/WPx8uU5Rbdo\/image_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":406,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=406","url_meta":{"origin":446,"position":2},"title":"My Vision For the World Championships","author":"CHill","date":"October 5, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes, I know it\u2019s October and we just had the opening ceremonies for the Commonwealth Games.\u00a0 But with the majority of top line athletes missing from the Commonwealth, my mind can\u2019t help but fast forward to the next gathering of the world\u2019s best athletes \u2013 the World Championships in Daegu.\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 5 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 5 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=406#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"BERLIN - AUGUST 23: South Korean dancers perform during the Closing Ceremony during day nine of the 12th IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium on August 23, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Martin Rose\/Bongarts\/Getty Images)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view1.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/6136639\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2873,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2873","url_meta":{"origin":446,"position":3},"title":"The World Championships Needs Changes","author":"CHill","date":"October 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Trailers are now out for the second season of \"Sprint\"! The huge selling point being that it's the \"Olympic Season\"! The season that matters. If you don't get it done at the Olympics, you won't be remembered! Unfortunately, this is probably true. I remember championship races outside of the Olympics.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/E84FD72B-E78B-4313-B88E-EF5F420C1A1B-150x150.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2746,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2746","url_meta":{"origin":446,"position":4},"title":"Time for a Worlds Revision","author":"CHill","date":"October 4, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The World Championships have concluded and everyone is already looking forward to Paris 2024! Because that is the event that EVERYONE puts stock into. So much so, that several high level athletes bypassed this year's World Championships in favor of preparation for the Olympics. You see, in the days leading\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"World Championships\"","block_context":{"text":"World Championships","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=world-championships"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/C212AA2F-776B-420D-8EA3-2281016CA083-150x150.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":424,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=424","url_meta":{"origin":446,"position":5},"title":"X-mas List Item #2 \u2013 Free Live Streaming","author":"CHill","date":"December 16, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"If Track Santa is kind enough to give me some exciting matchups this coming season, I\u2019d love to be able to actually watch them as they occur. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I love YouTube \u2013 because everything ends up on YouTube sooner or later. But there is something to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 4 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 4 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=424#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"BERLIN - AUGUST 23: South Korean athletes carry a banner for the 2011 games in Daegu, South Korea during day nine of the 12th IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium on August 23, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Mark Dadswell\/Getty Images)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view4.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/6136302\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}