[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
change suggestion is that an athlete in events under 400m in length
shall be disqualified for making one false start, rather than two.
we are proposing a rule change in the u.s. for starters, not athletes....see
below
IAAF Starting Rules Compliance Change
from “after” to “when”
Proposal: To change USATF Rule 60.3 (line 2) to read, “When all
competitors are “set,” the pistol shall be fired.” (Instead of , as it
reads now, “after” all competitors are set ....” USATF will then be
in compliance with IAAF Rule 162.3.
IAAF Rule 162.3:
“.... On your marks, “Set,” and when all competitors are “Set” the
gun shall be fired, or approved statring apparatus activated.”
USATF Rule 60.3:
“....On your marks and “Set, “ and after all competitors are “set”,
the pistol shall be fired.”
This change significantly reduces the number of false starts in the
Sprints and Hurdles which benefits Athletes, Officials, Spectators,
and TV time constraints.
The longer a Starter “holds” the athlete beyond the “Set Point” the
more likely there are to be false starts. Few false starts are
observed, comparitively speaking, when the Starter fires the gun at
the “Set Point”. After arbitrarily allows the Starter to hold the
Athlete for as long as he wants (2, 5 seconds or more) which is not
good for the Sprinters/Hurdlers or the Sport.
For those concerned about “anticipation,” it is impossible to “time
out” Starters utilizing “when” since the time factor from “set to
gun” is a wide variable. Conversely, Starters who hold athletes
beyond the “set point” tend to have a subconscious consistency in
their set/gun interval; and are easy to time out (guess).
