The official line

Winter 2013

Issue No. 5

Editorial Board: Copyright: Comments & To be added to distribution list

John Cronin, Georgina Drumm, Michael O’Hart, Karl O’Connell, AAI Technical & Competition Committees aaitechcommittee@gmail.com

Welcome from the Chair persons!

2013 is finally upon us and from an officiating point of view we can all look forward to a very exciting year ahead.

In the short term, we have the privilege to be the first generation of officials to work in the world class Athlone Institute Of Technology Indoor Arena which we have no doubt will prove to be an enriching experience for athletes and officials alike.

Working in a new venue will require us all to arrive a bit earlier and be extra vigilant in all that we do while things get more familiar to each of us.

The unfortunate death of the German javelin official during the summer which is covered in this edition is a timely reminder to us all of the importance of constant concentration while we carry out our duties in the field of play.

In order to act as a refresher to our officials we have included some check lists for the season which we hope will be useful as a guideline especially when working in a new venue.

No sooner will the indoor season be complete in Spring time when all eyes will turn to the first ever hosting of the European Athletics Team Championships 1st League which will take place in Santry on June 22-23, 2013.

This event is a huge honour to Athletics Ireland but also a huge responsibility to our officials who will be operating under the eagle eye of live television from Setanta Sports.

The work has already commenced and the final touches are being put on the timetable which should be available for publication early in 2013.

The skills and knowledge gained by our hard working officials in the various education courses which have taken place all over the island of Ireland will be very useful as International competitions can bring scenarios not always visible in national competitions.

European Athletics has recently completed a site visit to Dublin and the Technical & Organisational Delegates expressed high praise for the plans and qualifications which we have worked so hard to achieve over the past few years.

We are always looking for newcomers into the sport and please don't be shy in telling family and friends of the skills, qualification and enjoyment which officiating offers us all.

Have a great year and be safe at all times.

Ciaran O'Cathain, President John Cronin, Chair of Technical Committee

Editor:

1|Page

Pierce O’Callaghan

Georgina Drumm, Chair of Competition

International Appointments for Irish Officials Athletics Ireland is pleased to congratulate the following on appointments by European Athletics & IAAF for events during the course of 2013: John Cronin-

Technical Delegate - European Under 23 Championships – 11-14 July 2013 Tampere/FIN

Pierce O’Callaghan- International Race Walking Judge - IAAF World Athletics Championships 10-18 August - Moscow/RUS International Race Walking Judge - European Cup Race Walking - 19 May 2013 - Dudince/SVK Technical Delegate - European Athletics Premium Permit Meeting - 10 June 2013 - Prague/CZE Ronan O’Hart-

Jury of Appeal Chair - European Cup Combined Events Super League - 29-30 June 2013 - Tallinn/EST ITO/ATO - European Athletics Junior Championships - 18-21 July 2013 Rieti/ITA

Michael Quinlan- ITO/ATO - European Cup Combined Events 1 League - 29-30 June 2013 Nottwil/SUI European Athletics Council Member Liam Hennessy will act as Council Delegate for the European Cup Race Walking Championship in Dudince, Slovakia and the European Combined Events Team Championship in Ribeiro Brava, Madeira in June and July 2013 respectively Athletics Ireland takes great pride in the achievement of these officials and offers sincerest congratulations to them on their appointments, which shows how much their expertise is valued at the highest levels of the sport.

Athletics Ireland also acknowledges the contribution of the countless officials who give of their time freely to ensure all competitions are run in a very professional manner.

Well done to everyone involved Athlone to host European Athletics Race Walking Judging Course 2013

Athletics Ireland is delighted to announce that Athlone has been selected to host the Race Walking Judges Education Certification Level II Course and Evaluation Seminar 2013 from the 10th-13th of October, 2013.

The decision was made by the European Athletics Council, at a meeting in Bucharest, Romania on the 2nd-4th of November, 2012.

The course and seminar will be conducted by the European Athletics Association, EAA, and hosted by Athlone IT and Athletics Ireland. The joint activity is served to refresh existing Area Race Walk Judges, as well as developing new RWJECS Level II judges for Europe.

2|Page

Ireland currently does not have any representative on the European level 2 Panel and this represents a great opportunity for Irish Race Walking judges to gain selection onto the European Panel.

It is hoped that at least 2 candidate judges will represent Ireland on the course based mainly off the written and video examination from the National Judges courses in 2011 and their subsequent performances as judges.

Know the rules?

The men's 110m Hurdles from the London Olympics resulted in three athletes being disqualified for four different rule infringements: Rule 162.7 Rule 163.6, Rule 168.7 Rule 168.7b Can you quote the various rules? Answers at the end of the newsletter

3|Page

IAAF tweaks false start rule ahead of Olympics This article appeared in the American media prior to the London Olympics with thanks to Gene Cherry from Reuters: The danger of one inadvertent twitch ruining the greatest day of a sprinter’s life has been removed after athletics’ governing body softened the rules on false starts ahead of the London Olympics.

The little-publicized clarification by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) permits athletes to move in the starting blocks without being disqualified so long as their hands do not leave the ground or their feet the blocks.

Previously, such twitching or flinching could have resulted in disqualification at the discretion of the starter.

“The bottom line is, outside of an athlete removing his hands off the track or his feet leaving the blocks, nothing else is a false start,” David Katz, one of 17 members on the rule-making IAAF technical committee, told Reuters by telephone.

The need for improved quality and consistency by starters worldwide had prompted the clarification, said Paul Hardy, IAAF competitions director.

Usain Bolt’s false start at last year’s world championships in Daegu, while a clear violation, only added to the discussion.

“This allows a safety valve,” said international starter Tom McTaggart, who has been sending off athletes for more than 40 years.

“It takes a little pressure off the starter in general, the recall crew and the athletes. They (the athletes) know ’I got a second chance here’.”

Spectators and starters might need to adjust, McTaggart told Reuters.

“Fans may say: ’that guy moved, so it’s a false start’,” the 1996 Olympics starter said. “It will be a little bit of a learning curve.”

Starters might wind up disqualifying athletes less often, he noted.

4|Page

“Things that they would just whack somebody for a false start before, they are going to think about it,” McTaggart said.

The preferred method now is to call up athletes and begin the process again if movement is observed.

“They (the IAAF) are interested in preventive officiating because the penalty is severe,” McTaggart said of the IAAF rule that disqualifies an athlete for his first false start.

With the clarification, movement, if it constitutes a major disturbance or delay, can be considered improper conduct instead of a false start.

The penalty would be a yellow card, or warning. A second would result in disqualification.

“I believe this gives them (IAAF) the wiggle room they were looking for without saying we were wrong (on the one-and-done false start rule),” said Bob Podkaminer, secretary of USA Track & Field’s rules committee and an international technical official.

U.S. relays coach Jon Drummond, who was involved in one of the most publicized false starts of all time in 2003, said it was time something was done.

“Athletes are getting penalized and that is the starter’s fault,” the sprinter-turned-coach said.

Drummond drew major attention at the 2003 Paris world championships when he lay on the track for more than 15 minutes in protest after being disqualified for a false start he said he did not commit.

Many today believe Drummond was correct, that he might have been pushing on the blocks early but had settled down before the gun was fired.

“I think it is a fair solution,” Drummond said of the clarification, though he would prefer that the false start rule reverted to the previous one, when the first infraction was charged against the field and the second eliminated the offending athlete.

Sprinter Tyson Gay said he liked the clarification.

“I think it will save some people,” he told Reuters.

“Because if a person flinches and they don’t call it a false start, it can allow another person to flinch and they call it on that person. They (the starting crew) didn’t see the first person.”

Katz has a solution for that – employ video in the starting process that would be immediately available to starters.

After all, he said, with television beaming races globally, “the whole world gets to see who is moving except the starters.”

5|Page

Alan Bell, who is regarded as THE foremost authority on starting in world athletics and who gave a course to our starters and NTO's in December 2011 responded below: The media are putting a great deal of spin on this pre Olympics Essentially it is a clarification of what good starters have always done (I hope). In the set position, if an athlete twitches but does not leave that position, we should abort the start.

If we feel the twitch was a deliberate attempt to undermine the start they are given a conduct warning. If we feel they are simply unsteady we begin the process again without warnings but probably with a general word to be still for the whole field Looking back...

Percy Kirwan – Long Jumper, Triple Jumper and Olympic Judge Continuing our look back at famous Irish Technical Officials from yester-year, Cyril Smyth gives us this very informative piece on Waterford's Percy Kirwan who was an International Technical Official (ITO) in the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, the last time for 56 years that Ireland had an ITO for an Olympic Games.

Pierse “Percy” Kirwan was born in 1881. He was one of at least seven children of farmer Patrick J Kirwan and his wife Catherine of Kilcanavee , Ballydurn [Census 1901] about 5 km north of Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford – Ellen [born 1871], Mary [1873], James [1877], Roderick “Rody” [1879], Edward “Eddie” [1880], who died during a fever epidemic [enteric fever or typhus] in 1898, Percy [1881], and Patrick [1884].

In the 1901 Census, Pierse’s occupation at age 19 is given as shop assistant and in the 1911 Census Percy Kirwan, aged 29, is listed as grocer’s assistant in Kilmacthomas.

Percy and his brothers achieved success in several sports. James achieved note as a GAA footballer, pole vaulter (jumper) and half-miler. Rody was a bank clerk, eventually rising to branch manager with National Bank of Ireland. Because of bank business he moved to several counties, playing Gaelic football for Waterford, Wexford and Kerry. He won two All-Ireland and three Munster Championships with Kerry. Patrick “Pat” was a Gaelic footballer, half-miler and race walker.

Percy played hurling and gaelic football and represented Waterford in both codes, but it was in athletics that he achieved greatest success and renown – particularly in long jump and triple jump (hop, step and jump). His performances in Irish Championships are summarised below: Gaelic Athletic Association Championships Year

Placing

Venue

Event

1907

Thurles

Long jump

22 ft 3 in

6.78 m

1907

Thurles

Triple jump

44 ft 8 in

13.61 m

1908

Fermoy

Long jump

22 ft 9 in

6.93 m

1908

Fermoy

Triple jump

46 ft 10 in

14.27 m

1909

Mallow

Long jump

23 ft 4 in

7.11 m

1909

Mallow

Triple jump*

46 ft 3 in

9.68 m

1909

Mallow

100 yds

10.0 sec†

—

6|Page

Mark

Metric

1910

Mallow

Long jump

22 ft 6 in

6.86 m

1910

Mallow

Triple jump

48 ft 1 in

14.66 m

1910

Mallow

120 yds Hurdles

16.8 sec

—

1910

Mallow

100 yds

10.2 sec+1yd

—

*2 hops and a jump † Also recorded as 10.4 secs; when Kirwan told the judges that he was incapable of running 100 yards in 10.0 secs, the time was duly amended to 10.4 secs!

Irish Amateur Athletic Association Championships Year

Placing

Venue

Event

Mark

Metric

1911

RDS, Dublin

Long jump

1911

RDS, Dublin

120 yds Hurdles

16.4 sec+4yds

—

1912

RDS, Dublin

Long jump

22 ft 3 in

6.78 m

1912

RDS, Dublin

Triple jump

47 ft 1 in

14.35 m

1912

RDS, Dublin

120 yds Hurdles

17.0 sec+2yds

—

23 ft 4 in

7.11 m

In this era the AAA Championships were regarded as the equivalent of today’s World Championships. Between 1880–1914, Irish athletes won the Long Jump Championship 22 times.

Among those was Percy Kirwan: Amateur Athletic Association of England Championships Year

Placing

Venue

Event

Mark

Metric

1910

SB, London*

Long jump

22 ft 0¾ in

6.72 m

1911

SB, London*

Long jump

23 ft 6½ in

7.15 m

1912

SB, London*

Long jump

23 ft 2½ in

7.07 m

*Stamford Bridge The first AAA’s Triple Jump Championship was not held until 1914.

Percy Kirwan first represented Ireland in 1908 in Rome. Rome had been selected to host the 1908 Summer Olympic Games ahead of London, Berlin and Milan at the 6th IOC Session in Berlin on 22nd June, 1904.

In support of Rome, Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Courbertin, sought the ‘blessing’ and ‘benevolent sympathy for the Olympic spirit’ of Pope Pius X [later St Pius X] during a visit to Rome in 1905.

Preparations were well under way when Mount Vesuvius erupted on 7 April 1906, causing extensive damage to Naples. The Italian authorities had to divert much of the monies ear-marked for the Summer Games to reconstruction of Naples. A new host city was required and London was selected for the 1908 Summer Games.

However, Rome did host an international sports meeting that year. In compensation for the loss of the Olympic Games an International Papal Sports or Championships were held in Rome in September 1908 in conjunction with the Sacerdotal Golden Jubilee of his Holiness Pope Pius X [Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, Papacy 3 August 1903–20 August 1914, ordained 18 September 1858]. This is variously referred to as the Papal Games, the Vatican Games and Vatican Sports.

An athletic team, selected by the Catholic Young Men's Society of Ireland and the Gaelic Athletic Association to represent Ireland, accompanied the Irish Pilgrimage to Rome under the auspices of the CYMSI. The events were held in the Belvedere Courtyard, designed by Donato Bramante, and 7|Page

in the Vatican Gardens. Over 2,500 athletes participated in several sports. Although the Irish team was small, it was very successful, in particular Percy Kirwan.

Percy Kirwan, 1908 ‘Vatican’ or Papal’ Games, Rome Placing

Comp.

Venue

Event

20

Vatican Gardens

100 m

21

Vatican Gardens

200 m

NR

Vatican Gardens

Long jump

Mark

Metric

11.8 sec

—

NT

—

23 ft 8 in

7.21 m

In addition James J Bourke from Cappawhite, Co. Tipperary, won the High Jump Gold Medal with 1.90 m [6 ft 3 in], an Italian All-Comers Record, in a field of 24 competitors. It was reported that the officials had not calculated on any jump being over 1.88 m, the height of the stands, and boards had to be attached to the stands to make the cross-bar high enough. Bourke also took the Silver Medal in the ‘150 yards’ [137 m] hurdles out of 41 competitors. It is unclear if this distance was used because of space restrictions in the Vatican Gardens.

Percy Kirwan was unable to compete in the hurdles because he had twisted his ankle slightly in the long jump. Through a misunderstanding Ireland was not represented in the 400 m. M. Brennan won the Silver medal in the Long Jump with a leap of 6.81 m [21 ft 4 in] and took the Bronze Medal in the 800 m, losing the Silver medal by a mere ‘touch’ (30 contested this event).

William Carroll won the Rope-Climbing Gold Medal out of 20 competitors, scaling the 8.0 m climb in 11.0 sec. Sebastian Bregazzi of Ireland won the Silver Medal in 13.0 sec. Ireland astoundingly won the ‘Continental’ [Association] Football title, in which 12 teams competed, beating Italy 11–0 in the final! (The final score was also reported in the press as 12–0 or 10–0). Ireland achieved the Best National Record of those competing, 6 Gold medals, 3 Silver medals and 1 Bronze medal.

The Irish athletes were granted a special audience by the Pope Pius X and sang “All praise to St Patrick” in Irish. At the conclusion of Games, the Irish athletes put on an exhibition game of hurling for the Pope.

Percy Kirwan also represented Ireland in the annual Ireland v Scotland International Track and Field Meeting, having won the IAAA Long Jump titles in 1911 and 1912 and been runner-up in the IAAA 120 yds Hurdles in both of those years.

Each country fielded two representatives in each event. The 1911 meeting was held at the RDS Showgrounds, Ballbridge on 15th July. Kirwan won the long jump with a leap of 23 ft 0 in [7.01 m] and placed 2nd by 4 yards to Major E. O’Brien of Ireland [16.4 sec], who had won the IAAA Hurdles Championship that year.

8|Page

The contest laurels, scored on the basis of the number of the 11 events won, went to Scotland 7– 4. The 1912 meeting took place at Powderhall Grounds, Edinburgh on 20th July. In the Long Jump Kirwan placed 2nd with a jump of 22 ft 1 in [6.73 m] to JHD Watson of Scotland with 22 ft 9 in [6.93 m]. He also placed 2nd by 1 ft in the 120 yds Hurdles to Ian S Clarke of Scotland [16.8 sec], but had the satisfaction of beating his Irish compatriot by 3 yds, Cyril R Dugmore, who had won the IAAA title that year.

The international was drawn, both teams scoring 5½ pts with a dead heat in the 100 yds. At this meeting Kirwan was seconded into the Hammer Throw to prevent an immediate walk-over, but his token effort was not measured.

Mystery or enigma or controversy surrounds Percy Kirwan and the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm. The selection meeting of the Amateur Athletic Association, in conference with the Amateur Athletic Associations of Ireland and Scotland, took place at Manchester, the decisions being published on 24 May in Ireland and the UK. Entries for the Games closed on 1st June. The provisional listing for the “Standing Broad Jump and Running Broad Jump” was: Athlete

Club

Henry Sherard Osborn Ashington Philip Cave Kingsford Sidney Soloman Abrahams William Langwill Hunter Patrick J. Lehane M. Carroll W. Leach

Cambridge University AC St Mary’s College London AC Scotland Knocklong, Co. Limerick, Ireland Ireland Reading AC

Despite winning the 1910 and 1911 AAA Long Jump Championships, a title he would retain in 1912, Kirwan was not listed. It has been speculated that Kirwan declined competing due to his Irish nationalistic leanings. Other accounts credit him with being in Stockholm for the Games, raising questions as to whether he was injured. The family still retains a copy of The Athletic Times dated 1 July 1912 which consists of photographs of seven athletes, including Kirwan, stated to be “at the Olympic Games”.

9|Page

The Olympic Long Jump took place on 10th July. There were 30 competitors. All took three jumps, the top three getting three further jumps to decide the medal positions. Albert Gutterson (USA) won the Gold medal with his very first jump of 7.60 m.

Calvin Bricker (CAN) and Georg Åberg (SWE) took the Silver and Bronze medals with their 3rd jump of 7.21 m and 5th jump of 7.18 m, respectively. Åberg’s qualifying jump for the final three was 7.04 m. There is little doubt that Kirwan was capable of qualifying for the final three.

Philip Kingsford and Henry Ashington who had taken the Silver and Bronze medal positions at the 1912 AAA Championships with 6.86 m and 6.78 m, jumped 6.78 m and 6.65 m, respectively, in Stockholm. The 3rd British athlete, Sidney Abrahams cleared 6.74 m.

Tony O’Donoghue in his book “Irish Championship Athletics” wrote of Kirwan’s performance at the Scotland v Ireland match in Edinburgh shortly thereafter that “It seems possible that what must have been a very difficult decision, not to go to Stockholm (as part of a UK team), led to a demoralising loss of form.” Equally his under-performance in Edinburgh could have been due to injury.

Kirwan’s long jump PB remained his 7.21 m in Rome; his personal best in triple jump was achieved in Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, on 8 September 1910 where he cleared 49 ft 9 in (15.16 m), although Tony O’Donoghue apparently attributed this to “2 hops and a jump” in his 1959 Irish All-time rankings.

He is also reported to have broken the weights-aided long jump record of John Howard, set in 1854, of 29 ft 7 in (9.02 m) at a sports meeting near Kilmacthomas. Kirwan is credited with winning over 300 trophies at athletic sports meetings during his competitive career. He retired from competition in 1912.

Percy Kirwan is said to have attended every Olympic Games from 1924–1960. In 1932 he was invited by the Olympic Council of Ireland to be a field-events judge at the Xth Summer Olympiad in Los Angeles.

10 | P a g e

The Irish 1932 Olympic Team and Officials with Percy Kirwan on the boat to Los Angeles with the Irish Olympic Team of 1932, front row on the left with the moustache. IOC Member and former NACAI President JJ Keane is 3rd from right back row. Double Olympic Champion Pat O'Callaghan is 4th from right and Bob Tisdell 4th from left on the front row. Roddy Kirwan is 2nd from left back row.3rd from left on the back row is General Eoin O'Duffy.

Percy was accompanied to Los Angeles by his brother Rody, who was made a Hon. VicePresident of the OCI to facilitate access to the Games. He is listed in the 1932 Olympic Report as a Member of the N.O.C. (Ireland).

However, Rody was merely a spectator at the Games. Percy became the licensed vintner and general merchant in Kilmacthomas.

He died at his home on 29 January, 1969.

A tribute at the time of his death described him as “a man with a keen sense of humour who was possessed of a shrewd business brain and was a most interesting conversationalist and everybody’s friend. Indeed he could be truly described as one of nature’s gentlemen”. James, the eldest of the five Kirwan brothers, outlived all his siblings, dying on 24 July, 1969.

When a new byepass was completed around the village of Kilmacthomas in 2001, the 75-metre, three-span bridge over the River Mahon was named in his memory.

In September 2012, a plaque in memory of Kilmacthomas’s most legendary son, Percy Kirwan, was unveiled on the outside wall of the Kirwan premises in Main Street by the County Mayor and 95-year-old Danny Kirwan, son of the late Percy.

Focus on Health & Safety: A 75-YEAR-OLD referee speared through the throat with a javelin at an athletics meeting in Germany has died from his injuries.

Dieter Strack had gone to measure the throw of a previous athlete when the javelin from the next contestant hit him in the throat and exited out of his neck.

11 | P a g e

Paramedics revived the victim at the scene and an emergency doctor escorted him as he was taken to the Dusseldorf's University Hospital, where he was operated on after losing a lot of blood from his main artery.

Emergency services reported the referee had severed his carotid artery.

Seven spectators in the 800-strong crowd who witnessed the accident and a 17-year-old javelin thrower were given counselling at the scene as police evacuated the stadium.

The annual Wilhelm Unger Games event for young athletes was cancelled after the tragedy.

Dusseldorf fire department spokesman, Michael Sandforth, told German website, The Local: "He was bleeding very badly and lost a lot of blood.

"Our emergency doctor administered first aid and then he was taken to hospital.

"There was a helicopter at the scene but the doctor made the decision that there was an urgent need to bring him back round so he was taken nearby to the university clinic in the emergency doctor's vehicle."

Strack has been described as a "highly experienced international javelin judge". His 18-year-old granddaughter Fiona was due to compete at the championships.

The website of the local athletics federation described Mr Strack as a "much-loved and experienced" sports judge.

"All of us who were there are horrified and in shock ... we will always remember Dieter Strack," the federation said in a statement.

You are the Referee / Chief Judge

by Michael O’Hart This section has proved to be a hugely popular one both with Irish and an ever growing band of international officials subscribing to TOL. Here follows this months situations followed by Q&A from the last edition: 1. In a Pole Vault competition, an athlete having planted the pole aborts his attempt. In doing so the bend of the Pole breaks the vertical plane through the zero line. As Chief Judge what is your decision regarding the trial?

2. In the Hammer Competition, the handle lands outside the sector line. As a Judge responsible for the landing zone what is your decision regarding the validity of the throw?

3. A Race walker has not received any warning in a 5k race. In the last 50 metres he is seen to lose obvious contact with the ground. What action is the Chief Judge required to take?

4. In a 200m competition there are 4 heats with the first 3 in each heat and the 4 fastest losers qualifying for the semi-finals. Electronic timing and hand timing are in use. In the 3rd heat the electronic timing fails. As Track Referee what is your decision regarding the qualification of athletes on time?

12 | P a g e

Q&A from July edition:

Question 1 In the 100m an athlete fails to react to the gun. The starter recalls the race as he considers that all athletes did not get a fair start. The Starts Referee on enquiring from the athlete is told that he does not want to run.

As a Starts Referee what action should you take?

Answer: The Starts Referee should warn the athlete( by showing a yellow card) for acting in an unsporting and improper manner. (Rule 125.5)

Question 2 In the Javelin /competition an athlete having launched the javelin immediately turns around and walks back the runway before the implement lands.

As Chief Judge what action if any should you take?

Answer: No action required provided the athlete has not left the runway. If the athlete leaves the runway before the implement lands then it is not a valid throw.(Rule 187.17)

Question 3 An athlete presents at the start of a 5000m race and his name is not on the Start List. On enquiring it is confirmed that the athlete did not report to the Call Room. The Track referee is called.

What action must the Referee take?

Answer: The athlete must be excluded from the competition as he had not been checked through the call room and accompanied from there to the start. The Track Referee should also make enquiries as to how the athlete gained access to the competition area and have him escorted from the competition area.

Question 4 In the Call Room an athlete receives a yellow card for indiscipline. At the Start he is guilty of further indiscipline and so is shown a red card. He immediately requests to be allowed to run under protest. As Starts Referee what is your decision?

Answer: Allow the athlete to run as an athlete has the right of Appeal to the Jury of Appeal except in the case of a false start detected by the false start equipment. (Rule 146.3) Answers in next edition & suggestions to aaitechcommittee@gmail.com

13 | P a g e

Updates from London 2012 The situation with the women's Hammer which led to a reversal of 3rd and 4th places after the competition is explained by Australia's Brian Roe who was the Chief ITO during the Games and editor of "The Referee". It is a good example of ensuring fair play at all times.

I was really impressed with the smart work done by a couple of officials on the women's hammer tonight which eventually allowed the initial confusion caused by an extraordinary co-incidence to be resolved.

The situation was that Lysenko's last throw in Rd 4 and Heidler's first in Rd 5 were exactly the same 77.12m.

Because this was thought to be highly unlikely, it was initially assumed to be a computer glitch and Heidler was given a throw under protest in case this proved to be the case.

But the EDM operator had been smart enough to take the measurement again before the prism was removed and store and record it, showing that it was in fact 77.12m In addition the prism judge marked the throw in the outfield. When the video research showed that it was entirely possible and very likely the throws could be the same distance and the marked throw re-measured as a back-up, it was clear that the original EDM measurement of 77.12m, although quite extraordinarily the same as the previous throw, was indeed correct.

Editors note: This coincidence resulted in the Chinese athlete who initially finished in 3rd position to be relegated into 4th position

14 | P a g e

UKA Head Coach focuses on track Umpires before the Games Begin!

TRACK EVENTS EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS CHECKLIST * Lane flags (if used - not on all weather tracks) * Finish posts (if used) * Lane marker boxes (if used) * Starting blocks for all lanes * Starting block carriers (or wheelbarrow) * Hurdles carrier * Hammers or mallets * Starter's pistol and cartridges or starting clapper * Whistles for Starter and Referee * Public-address system or megaphone for Starter * Starter's stand * White flags for Referee, Starter's Assistants, Judges, Timekeepers, Photo-finish Judges * Yellow flags for umpires (plus a set of red and white flags for each relay change) * Indicator pole and lane markers for 800m/4x400m cut in point * Stopwatches (checked by a competent jeweller) or hand held chronometers * Batons for all relay teams * Lap counter board (if used) * "Last lap" bell (if used) * Platform or steps for finish judges and timekeepers * Wind Gauge(s) 15 | P a g e

* Hurdles (4/5 per lane) * Event recording sheets * Wind gauge recording sheets * Violation cards for umpires * Clipboards * Pencils or pens * Shade/shelter at start and finish of track events * Water or sports drinks points at post event areas * Chairs for umpires * Umbrellas, tables and chairs for Track Judges and Timekeepers Recorders * Digital clock for lap times * Wind gauge scoreboard for running events * Distance indicator board beside pit (long/triple jumps) LONG/TRIPLE JUMP EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS CHECKLIST * Runway * Jumping pit * Take-off boards * Take off board side markers * Plasticine indicator boards * Plasticine * Plasticine trowel and rollers * Shovels or spades * Rakes * Levelling device (if used) * Red, yellow and white flags * Flag, sock or tape (to indicate wind direction) * Measuring tapes (30m) - steel and fibreglass * Broom * Plastic traffic cone * Wind Gauge (s) and red/white flags * Event and wind gauge recording sheets * Pin marker for landing judge * Runway Markers * Fibreglass measuring tape-1x50m (for athletes to set runups) * Pit divider (where pit width exceeds allowable dimensions) * Clipboards * Pencils or pens * Benches for field event athletes * Shade/shelter for field event athletes * Squeegees or soppers (in case of wet weather) * Water or sports drinks points throughout on field areas * Chairs for field event judges * Umbrellas, tables and chairs for Field Event Recorders * Wind gauge scoreboard for long jump/triple jump * Large countdown clocks to indicate time remaining for field event attempts (digital is preferred but clock-face is acceptable)) * Record markers for field events * Distance indicator board beside pit (long/triple jumps) * Field event scoreboards (one for at each event site) (either manual or electronic) * Electronic distance measuring equipment 16 | P a g e

Faces at the races

Pictured at the first weekend of the new Indoor Arena in Athlone at the end of January were (l-r) Ronnie Long (Irish Olympic Team Manager 1976 and former President of BLE), Padraig Griffin (Irish Olympic Team Coach 1972 & 1980, Sean Naughton (Creator of Ireland's first indoor track in Nenagh and Irish Olympic Team Coach 2000), Liam Hennessy (Irish Olympic Team Manager 1980 and former ATO and President of AAI), John Cronin (ATO and only the 2nd Irish man to be selected as a Technical Delegate for a European Athletics Championships)

Brendan McDaid, Neil Cullen both Letterkenny AC and Neil Martin (Finn Valley) concentrating hard on recording the results at the finish.

17 | P a g e

And finally...

This is the photo finish photo from the London 2012 Olympic Stadium on the night of the 5,000m.

The noise and roar from the crowd in the stadium was so loud, it shook the photo finish camera and distorted the picture, which meant that Omega had to use the infield shot as back-up.

Explanations of 110H disqualifications from page 2

18 | P a g e