Athletics
IAAF BOSS, COE DEFENDS IAAF STANCE ON SOUTH AFRICA’S SEMENYA
BY MATHEW SMITH
International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Sebastian Coe believes they have a “responsibility to protect” female athletes, following the ruling preventing Caster Semenya from competing at the World Championships in Doha.
The South African will not defend her 800 metres title after the Swiss Supreme Court reversed a ruling which suspended a regulation imposed by the IAAF regarding testosterone levels, pending an appeal from Semenya.
The 28-year-old is appealing a ruling by the Court of
Arbitration for Sport (CAS) supporting the IAAF regulation that athletes with
differences in sexual development (DSD) who wish to compete in events ranging
from 400m and a mile must take medication in order to reduce testosterone
levels.
Coe claimed that, while the landscape of sport may change in the future, he feels the IAAF need to maintain a clear division between male and female classifications.
“The importance of trying to keep the sport together, particularly women’s sport, that’s important to me,” Coe told CNN World Sport.
“It may be in 30 years, 40 years time society takes a different view and we have other classifications, I don’t know.
“But at this point my responsibility was to protect two classifications and that’s what we feel we’ve done.”
Coe insisted the matter is not personal between himself, the IAAF and Semenya, and that he has not spoken to her about the ruling.
“I think it’s been handled as sensitively as it possibly could be,” he said.
“This is not about an individual athlete, it’s not about a particular country, it’s not about a continent, and I don’t see this as a personal issue.
“I see this as the right decision and those regulations have been tabled for what I believe are the right reasons and, most importantly, the majority of my Council.”
Coe reaffirmed his belief that the IAAF decision is correct, claiming the organisation has been “brave” to make an “unpopular” choice.
Referring to Semenya’s gender identity as a “condition”, he wants the double Olympic gold medallist to return to athletics.
“I hope that she does come back onto the track and I do hope that the athletes with that condition take the medical direction that allows them to do that,” he said.
“Look, no Federation, very few big organisations wanted to take the lead role in the challenges around DSD, and clearly, these inspire societal discussions as well.
“Transgender is, you know, is going to be a massive issue, not just for athletics but for so many other sports.
“I want athletics to always be at the forefront of thought leadership.
“I’m happy that our sport is brave enough to want to challenge these issues and take them head on.
“And that doesn’t always leave you in popular positions, but they do tend to be the right positions to be in.”
Three-times world champion Semenya has accused the IAAF of using her as a “guinea pig” as part of an extended war of words with the worldwide governing body.
She has also warned she will “not allow the IAAF to use me and my body again”.
The IAAF World Athletics Championships are due to take place from September 27 to October 6 at Khalifa International Stadium.
-insidethegames
BY DAPO SOTUMINU
Nigeria’s Francis James and Blessing Shambaz yesterday emerged winners of the 2nd Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Race to go home with the winners prize money of $1,000 in a race that was officially flagged off by the First vice president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Chief Solomon Ogba, and supported by Mr. Nadin Khan, the president of the World Ultra Running.
James won the men’s race finishing at 30minutes 11seconds to beat all opponents to consolidate on his victory in Abuja when he finished second best in the half marathon held in the Federal Capital Territory middle of the year.
James also emerged the Nigeria’s winner of the World class half marathon.
It will be recalled that James at his last major race in Abuja finished second place in a national half marathon race. He stressed that he used that race to prepare for the Lotus Bank Abeokuta Race and he was very happy winning the race.
He stressed that, the victory at Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10m Race has given him the confidence to do better in others races coming up in Nigeria and its an indication, that he’s very close to making history for Nigeria in subsequent marathon races. He added that, Nigerian runners will pull surprise in the others races not minding the attendance of the East Africans.
In second place for the men’s race is Gyang Raymond at a time of 30 minutes 14 seconds. Gyang got $750 for his effort. While the third place winner is Gyang David Boyi at 30 minutes 54 seconds. Boyi got a cash prize of $500.
In the women 10km race, the runners up that placed second was Daylop Patience at a time of 36minutes 98.28seconds to keep her position in last year’s edition. She got $750.
Third place winner is Agofure Charity at 37minutes 88 seconds.She got $500.
The overall 10km also saw the race by special athletes.
The route of the Lotus Bank Abeokuta Race wore a very active look this morning with the active presence of Febbs table water, a part sponsor of the event.
The volunteers on each points on the route all had Febbs Water on their hands ready to hand them over the runners. The organisers decorated all the runners that crossed the finish line with gold medals, this added to the fanfare and celebrations at the Alake Palace finish line of the race.
The Diamond League will increase its prize money to more than $9 million in 2025, the highest in the history of the series, the organisers have said.
Athletes will make a total of $18 million, with top athletes also receiving promotional fees. Male and female athletes will be paid at the same rate, the Diamond League said in a statement.
“The new total is almost a third higher than the sum paid during the pandemic-affected period of 2021-2024,” the statement said, adding that more will be invested in the athletes’ travel, transport, accommodation, medical and physio services.
Each of the 14 Diamond League meets of the 2025 regular season, scheduled to kick off in April, will award a total prize money of $500,000, with the final in August offering $2.24 million.
“The total prize money per discipline will be between $30,000 and $50,000 at the series meetings and between $60,000 and $100,000 at the final,” the statement added.
The Diamond League’s 2024 season concluded in Brussels last week, with Zurich set to host the 2025 final.
The news comes after World Athletics ended a 128-year tradition by paying Olympic champions at the Paris Games $50,000 each and as rival track events try to muscle in on the circuit long seen as the standard-bearer for professional athletics.
Retired American sprinting great Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track will offer prize money ranging from $100,000 for the winner to $10,000 for the eighth-place finisher at each of four “slams” when the league launches next year.
It will distribute a total of $12.6 million in prize money in 2025.
“In a league of our own,” Grand Slam Track wrote in a post on X, opens new tab on Wednesday, with a breakdown of their prize money.
-Reuters
A record 6,000 runners, local and international from across the African continent and Nigeria have registered for the second edition of the Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Run slated for September 28, 2024, as the organisers, Nilayo Sports Management Limited guns for a bronze label status for the race.
The Chief Operating Officer of Nilayo Sports Management Limited, Ebidowie Oweifie, noted that the theme of this year’s edition of the Abeokuta 10km Race titled ‘For Greatness’ out is out to commemorate the birthday anniversary of the Egba paramount ruler, the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo 111, the 10km Run will flag off at Iyana Oloke at 6am and finish at The Alake Palace, Abeokuta.
Kenya’s Peter Nwaniki is the men’s race defending champion at a time of 28 minutes 14 seconds, while Shamila Kipsirir also of Kenya is the women’s defending champion.
Nigeria’s race men’s defending champion is Francis James at 31minutes 08seconds, while the women’s defending champion is Patience Daylop at 36 minutes 31 seconds.
The second edition of Abeokuta10km Race will be sponsored by Lotus Bank, FEBBS Premium Water, Fatgbems Petroleum Limited and Cash Token.
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