Justin Gatlins 100m medal ceremony moved to avoid booing
Source: The Guardian
Sunday nights world championships 100m medal ceremony has been switched because athletics chiefs do not want to see a full stadium booing Justin Gatlin and the American national anthem.
The ceremony was originally due to be held at 8pm but has now been moved to 6.50pm before the evening programme starts. The International Association of Athletics Federations has officially insisted that the switch has nothing to do with the result, however their denials were met with scepticism by most observers inside the London Stadium.
Meanwhile Sebastian Coe, the president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, says he will congratulate the new world 100m champion Justin Gatlin if he sees him in London this week but admits he was far from eulogistic to see the twice-banned American sprinter win gold. In what was Usain Bolts final individual race before retirement, the 11-times world champion could only take third place, behind the US sprinters Gatlin and Christian Coleman.
Sport rarely settles upon the perfect script. Lifes just not like that, Lord Coe said. Speaking on BBC 5 Lives Sportsweek, Coe added: Its not the worst result ever. Im hardly going to sit here and tell you Im eulogistic that somebody that has served two bans in our sport would walk off with one of our glittering prizes, but he is eligible to be here.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/aug/06/justin-gatlin-usain-bolt-lord-coe-not-perfect-100m-final-athletics-world-championships
GaryCnf
(1,399 posts)Coe lacks the respect for the sport exhibited by the great one Usain Bolt after the race.
DinahMoeHum
(21,737 posts). . .the British press (with 1 or 2 exceptions) and certain sports officials after all this.
Heavy lesson: Sport is NOT a morality play.
Two pieces from The Independent (UK) underscore this:
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/usain-bolt-justin-gatlin-world-athletics-championships-a7879691.html
Usain Bolt's defeat last night is a reminder that in sport, just like in politics, the best man doesn't always win.
Anyone who turns to sport for an uplifting morality tale of virtue rewarded is begging for disappointment, and this was no exception.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/athletics-championships-usain-bolt-london-olympics-drugs-a7879806.html
Last night's Athletics Championships were a reminder of the disappointing legacy of the 2012 Olympics.
Usain Bolts final race is a reminder that Britain never fulfilled the economic or social potential we were promised would come as part of our Olympic legacy.
Oh, and BTW, Bolt didn't even finish second. He also lost out to a new upcoming track star, Christian Coleman. So it wouldn't have mattered if Gatlin was never at the scene last night.
As for Sebastian Coe, he can go suck a dick.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)in which case, no dick for him.
rocktivity
(44,555 posts)and you'd think that having been a "great one" in his own right, he'd be a little more empathetic. Gatlin did the time for his crimes and was reinstated -- get over it.
rocktivity