Why so soft? A head of department has thicker skin than to go home crying about tough questions.
You didn't see it then did you? She handled it very well and rose above the petty questioning, instead answering with authority and confidence throughout.
I missed this bit, but did see the preceding 'interviews' with the team director and 'medic' (who turned out to be a physio). All very amateurish from the pundits, especially Radcliffe. It was like a drunken discussion in a pub, a load of misinformed nonsense with no one actually listening to the questions previously asked or the answers given, with a healthy dos of speculation thrown in for good measure.
The previous night's 'discussion' about Semenya was similar; Radcliffe going on about how the rules should be 'fair for the majority', mainly meaning that Semenya shouldn't be allowed to run because the other poor athletes can't beat her.
It was like a drunken discussion in a pub, a load of misinformed nonsense with no one actually listening to the questions previously asked or the answers given, with a healthy dos of speculation thrown in for good measure.
Disgraceful, I'm just glad that never happens on here.
Of course I saw it. I've competed at a national level and been involved and interested in athletics for 25 years. The IAAF woman came across like an oblivious jobsworth. And I refer you to my previous comments above.
Of course I saw it. I've competed at a national level and been involved and interested in athletics for 25 years. The IAAF woman came across like an oblivious jobsworth. And I refer you to my previous comments above.
So at what point did you see her being soft or go home crying then?
Wow
And now the BBC is reporting the iaaf as stating they were "under instruction to quarantine" athletes. Simple fact is that neither iaaf nor PHE has any authority to impose a quarantine for the obvious reason that the disease is not considered sufficiently serious for such powers to be legally authorised. If it was a sufficiently dangerous disease that quarantining was legally mandated of course I'd fully suppose their actions, but instead they were just making up rules as they went along.
And now the BBC is reporting the iaaf as stating they were "under instruction to quarantine" athletes.
This is no different to advice given to parents of children in school if they are sick - keep them away from the school until the risk of spreading it has passed. Seems obvious to me. Surely all of us (especially those with children) have experienced such instances at home and done the usual washing everything well, no shared towels etc etc?
Public Health England's 'instruction' letter copied below....
6 August 2017
Dear Team Leaders and Team DoctorsAs you may have heard there have been some cases of acute gastro
enteritis in some athletes and staff members in a small number of teams.In order to ensure the safety of your team and others linked to the event,
you are obliged to attend a meeting held by the LOC and IAAF either;at the Guoman Tower Hotel at the Marathon Athlete Call Room at 17.30hrs
or at the TIC in the Stadium at 18.45hrs.To contain the situation and protect your athletes, we strongly request you
comply with the following directions:1. Report to the Guoman Tower Hotel Medical Room (430) as soon as
possible any episode of diarrhoea and vomiting. This report should
include the name, category of the person and the room number 2. The
person must be isolated and hotel staff will assist in allocating another
room. 3. Recommendations from Public Health England say the affected
person must remain isolated for 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting
or diarrhoea and therefore, the person will need to take their meals in their
room.The Hotel have applied Public Health England’s recommendations on
enhanced cleaning procedures and will support all measures in relation to
these matters.Individuals must be vigilant on personal hygiene and apply the following:
1. Wash your hands thoroughly after going to the toilet, using soap, hot
water and clean towels. 2. Wash your hands before having a meal or a
drink.Yours sincerely
LOC Head of Medical IAAF Medical Delegate
So, would you have imposed quarantine or not?
Thirty other athletes from other teams have been quarantined, their federations haven't made a fuss, and the outbreak appears to be under control.
Or we could have left it to run it's course, and seen how many other athletes, teams and events could be affected. In front of 60,000 paying fans each day.
You make that call glasgowdan.
I'm not saying it's been brilliantly handled by the IAAF, and I feel for that Botswanan runner, but plenty of other athletes will have been screwed over by illness or injury in the run up to the games. It happens.
But the point of the thread was the embarrassing amateurish bullying by ill-informed pundits of a woman who held her nerve despite the idiocy she was facing. The producer/director of that broadcast needs to be hauled over for it.
The previous night's 'discussion' about Semenya was similar; Radcliffe going on about how the rules should be 'fair for the majority', mainly meaning that Semenya shouldn't be allowed to run because the other poor athletes can't beat her
Semenya is a different and whole lot more complex situation, the norovirus is a walk in the park to sort out compared to that.
Semenya is a different and whole lot more complex situation,
Is it though? As I understand it:
- Semenya is biologically female (despite the claims and concerns, she's taken the tests and that's what she is)
- She has naturally occurring testosterone levels that are much higher than normally seen in females
- These levels give her a significant competitive advantage
Surely that's just unfortunate for the other athletes, but not unfair, isn't it, simple as that? If she'd been born with, I dunno, really long legs that gave her a similar advantage, would there be the same furore?
Is it though? As I understand it:
- Semenya is biologically female
Yes, it really is, and the more you read on it, the more complex it gets.
At risk of derailing the thread, a starter, define "female".
define "female".
Totally get that it's a bit of a minefield, but for the purposes of this surely it's "someone who passes the tests used by the IAAF to determine an athlete is female"?
That's the thing though - his participation would not automatically equal "everyone gets the bug". A tiny chance it may be passed to one or two others.
Some people have been watching too many disaster films.
A tiny chance it may be passed to one or two others.
And if that had happened, the IAAF would have been crucified.
They were damned if they did, damned if they didn't.
The BBC lot will have very much seen it from the athletes side, having generally been of that ilk. This in turns will mean they are fiercely competitive and you would have to cut off a limb to stop them competing.
You can therefore understand why the obtuse and awkward questions as they just do not 'get it' as the desire to compete far outweighs concern for others health and welfare.
I have to admit if it was me I would not have gone to the medical centre as I would not want to risk being quarantined so that I could compete. That probably makes me a dick but hey what can I say, I bet a fair few more don't come forward now.
But yeh it was awkward and I also fully understand that the IAAF are following 'guidelines' not rule but guidelines and are on balance doing the right thing if generally they are not communicating it well. She did well under pressure and I can imagine her desire to tell them where to go was high.
. A tiny chance it may be passed to one or two others.
Yet 30+ people contracted it before steps were taken to contain it.
Oooh... interesting! Makwala to get a 200m run on his own tonight, and if he runs under 20.53 they'll give him a place in tonight's 200m semi. 🙂
[url= http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/world-athletics-championships-2017-isaac-makwala-norovirus-200m-semi-finals-individual-time-trial-a7884821.html ]http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/world-athletics-championships-2017-isaac-makwala-norovirus-200m-semi-finals-individual-time-trial-a7884821.html[/url]
If he gets the sudden urge to go he'll beat that easily.
I believe Mariya Shatalova is running tonight as well.
Well the situation is a mess but from where they were this morning allowing him to run a solo heat is a good save from the iaaf. Hope he can make it and also get through the semi a couple of hours later.
Hope he can make it and also get through the semi a couple of hours later.
I think they may have messed up his prescription.
Well the hope is he won't find it too hard...
Let's just hope he's not running any relays!
Erm.....the baton is here....
20.20 Well done more than pleased for him 😀
Yes that's fantastic. As the 200's his stronger event it probably hasn't cost him too much in the end. Kudos to the iaaf for an imaginative solution.
It is an imaginative solution.
But what about any other athletes quarantined? Will they be given the same opportunity if they've missed a heat?
If there are any with finals yet to be contested (I don't know), I would expect that they would want the same treatment
It intensely annoyed me the whole thing. The BBC is a joke frankly and that should never have been allowed to happen.
What has the Beeb to do with a decision made by the IAAF and Public Health England?
Or are you just referring to the interview?
