The Athletics thread

[DavidMarrio]

Just now, Lineker said:

Mate, I wouldn't fuck Birmingham with your dick.

Just think it's a shame really. The city has developed massively over the last decade and is continuing to do so. It would have been good chance for further development. 

Just seems like anything of this nature will always go to the same sort of cities rather then investing in others. 

 

[Twist]

But Birmingham have never held it. It's an opportunity for them as well.

[DavidMarrio]

Birmingham have held a lot of athletics events in general though. Sure they have events such as the diamond league every year. 

[Cymbols]

Which means that Birmingham has the facilities in place that Liverpool don't have. Why build an athletics stadium with taxpayers money, just to give it to Everton football club, when you can upgrade the Alexander stadium, which will then be used for further athletics events, which is surely more preferable than making a rich football team richer?

I don't think you can argue that it's the same places that get these things when you consider that Birmingham has just as bad a rep as Liverpool. 

[Bobfoc]

Birmingham's easier for me to get to, so, selfishly, that's something in its favour. Also, it's been probably the UK's athletics capital over the last few years, even though London gets the Anniversary Games and this year's World Championships. Alongside the Alexander Stadium, a fair few big indoor events have been held in the city, including the World Indoor Championships early next year.

I don't doubt that Liverpool could host the Games well, but Birmingham's bid looks particularly strong and, as mentioned above, it's a more compelling prospect for the long-term future of athletics.

[Lineker]

Paris confirmed for the 2024 Olympics. Los Angeles confirmed for the 2028 Olympics. 

[Colly]

Yay, good places. FIFA take note. 

[Bobfoc]

I would have quite liked to see a different American city host the Games, but I'm not complaining. I wonder if the Russians will make it there this time.

[Lineker]

Russia has been banned from competing at next year's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang by the International Olympic Committee. But Russian athletes who can prove they are clean would be allowed to compete in South Korea under a neutral flag.

[Adam]

Good.

[Lineker]

Birmingham have been confirmed as hosts of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

[Cymbols]

Happy days 

[Lineker]

North Korea has agreed to send a team to the Winter Games in the South.

[MDK]

A team of one million  ̶s̶o̶l̶d̶i̶e̶r̶s̶  athletes

[Lineker]

The president of Russia's Olympic Committee has told Russian State TV that their Olympic ban has been lifted by the IOC.

[Gazz]

 

Quote

 

Some female runners with naturally high testosterone levels will have to race against men or change events unless they take medication, under new rules issued by athletics' governing body.

The rules, which start on 1 November 2018, would apply to women who race in track events from 400m up to the mile.

The IAAF believes the new measures will stop women with high testosterone levels gaining a competitive advantage.

Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya is expected to be among those affected.

The South African runner has previously been asked to undertake gender testing by athletics chiefs but no results have ever officially been made public.

Similar restrictions brought in by athletics' world governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations, were suspended following a legal challenge by the Indian sprinter Dutee Chand in 2015.

 

What a bunch of fucking bullshit.

[The Lusophone]

It's a bit much, considering it's not applying to the likes of the shot putters, who frequently have testerone levels double that of Semenya's. She has been treated horrible by the IAAF for years.

[Gazz]

It's nonsense, what happens if there comes along a male sprinter who is 7ft tall and his legs are a foot longer than everyone elses? Is that fair? If you use this as a precedent, it's not.

[Adam]

I don't see how it's enforceable. As soon as someone takes that to CAS it's in the bin, awful rule.

The IAAF is an absolute joke.

[hugobomb]

So does that mean that men with naturally very low levels of testosterone can compete against women or is it the "fuck you Semenya" that it looks like?