WC 50km opened to women

[americantrackfan]

This is just stupid. Doing it like this looks like a publicity stunt so someone can say she qualified for worlds. It either needed to be announced at least 6-18 months in advance or just wait until 2019. It needs to have a full field that has actually trained, not just a few people who happened to hop into a 50k and then sue the IAAF. We could actually have an official WC event with no finishers...
Last I heard they were talking about doing away with the 50k, not adding a joke of a women's race. (Not saying that women in the 50k is a joke, just that doing this way is).
This is what makes the sport look bad. Do it the same way as the women's hammer/steeple/pole vault.

[aaronk]

Best solution?
Open the race to anyone who wants to do it (but 3 per country limit).
A 5 hour 50K is 5-10K's in one hour each!
Surely a woman who can walk 10K in 50 minutes should be able to hold a 60 minute pace!
There should be NO qualifying standards----although entrants SHOULD feel able to walk a 5 hour time!!

Then in 2019, have the normal qualifying!

[nztrackfan]

You'd have to say that the inclusion of the 50km walk for women at such a late stage is a fairly ridiculous decision by the IAAF. In the interests of gender equality maybe the decision should be taken that all events should have similar weights and heights as well. The women's decathlon including men's height 110m hurdles and 7.26kg shot put would make for interesting viewing - or would that be as farcical as watching 4-5 women competing in the 50k walk and being awarded medals (and equal prize money) for doing so.

[nztrackfan]

Oh and by the way - this is all going to happen in the London World Champs in less than 2 weeks time.

[polevaultpower]

You'd have to say that the inclusion of the 50km walk for women at such a late stage is a fairly ridiculous decision by the IAAF. In the interests of gender equality maybe the decision should be taken that all events should have similar weights and heights as well. The women's decathlon including men's height 110m hurdles and 7.26kg shot put would make for interesting viewing - or would that be as farcical as watching 4-5 women competing in the 50k walk and being awarded medals (and equal prize money) for doing so.

There is empirical evidence to support raising the 100H to 36" and using heavier throwing implements, but there is little to no desire among the athletes for these changes to be made.

There ARE women who want to do the Decathlon, but most Heptathletes don't want to switch. But with the women's implements obviously. I mean I'm sure female decathletes would be better suited than most to do 36" hurdles, but yes 42" would be farcical.

Women doing the Decathlon is not farcical.

[polevaultpower]

Last I heard they were talking about doing away with the 50k, not adding a joke of a women's race. (Not saying that women in the 50k is a joke, just that doing this way is).
This is what makes the sport look bad. Do it the same way as the women's hammer/steeple/pole vault.

Most of the IAAF apparently hates the race walk and the race walk committee they have is a joke. The truth is that the women doing the 50k RW could be the very thing that saves it at the Olympic level, and there are many in the IAAF who don't want the men or women doing the 50k RW (or probably any RW).

FWIW I definitely enjoyed watching the Olympic 50k RW last summer.

[nztrackfan]

Women doing the Decathlon is not farcical.
I'm not suggesting it would be. What would be farcical would be changing the heptathlon to the decathlon and incorporating men's hurdle heights and throws weights 2 weeks before the WC in the interest of gender equality - which in effect is what they've done by including a women's 50km walk at the last minute.

[americantrackfan]

Women doing the Decathlon is not farcical.
I'm not suggesting it would be. What would be farcical would be changing the heptathlon to the decathlon and incorporating men's hurdle heights and throws weights 2 weeks before the WC in the interest of gender equality - which in effect is what they've done by including a women's 50km walk at the last minute.

While adding it this late is a farce, changing established events is not the same as adding new ones.

[18.99s]

How about eliminating ALL the walks from the IAAF world championships. Problem solved.

[Halfmiler2]

I favor - with a transition of a few years - going to 36" hurdles and decathlon for women. I also favor modest adjustments in all the throwing implement weights and specs for men and women as a compromise to create new world records in the throws without resetting all the other events. Just like the javelin a few years back.

I think the timing was too short but doing what they are doing in the walk is good and probably saves the 50K. We finally will have an equal number of championship events - 24 for men and 24 for women.

[exdrake]

Give credit where due: It seems to me the IAAF has gotten the concept of a w50k walk going with at least one foot off the ground.

[Vault-emort]

One of the US walkers has publicly given credit to her lawyer for helping get this done. Story linked in front page headline section. (Scroll down.)

As I suspected...

[Powell]

Give credit where due: It seems to me the IAAF has gotten the concept of a w50k walk going with at least one foot off the ground.

I'm afraid they ended up with both feet off the ground simultaneously.

[El Toro]

How about eliminating ALL the walks from the IAAF world championships. Problem solved.

Not whilst MJR can afford hand over $5m in a brown paper bag every year to the IAAF.

[tandfman]

Not whilst MJR can afford hand over $5m in a brown paper bag every year to the IAAF.

:-)