Tokyo Olympics: Plan to ensure super shoes don’t aid technical dopers
World records have been shattered thanks to new technology that has aroused suspicion of ‘doping’ at this year’s Olympics. A plan to stop the cheats has been revealed.
Olympics
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Running shoes that arouse suspicion of technical doping at this summer’s Olympic Games will be seized by competition referees for an examination that could include cutting them open to check the construction of the sole.
The emergence of new shoe technology, especially in the form of carbon plates contained within foam midsoles, has led to a number of world records being shattered and has forced World Athletics to update its rules, not least in road running.
News that Olympic officials will be involved came as it became clear that athletes at the Tokyo Games will not be allowed to take a knee.
In August the global governing body published a new list of shoes across different brands that are approved for competition, having already set limits on the number of plates that can be used and the depth of the sole for different disciplines. But concern remains that some shoes could breach the rules, and referees in Tokyo will be reminded before the Games that they can ask an athlete to surrender their footwear at the end of their event.
World Athletics rules state: “The athlete, or their representative, will need to ensure their older shoe complies with Rule 5.13 in terms of the maximum sole thicknesses for their specified event and any inserted plate or blade, including spike plates if relevant. If the competition referee has a reasonable suspicion that a shoe worn by an athlete might not comply with the rules then at the conclusion of the competition the referee may request the shoe be handed over for further investigation by World Athletics.”
For shoes the checks are crude. World Athletics experts need only cut the shoes open to check if they comply.
This story was originally published on The Times
Originally published as Tokyo Olympics: Plan to ensure super shoes don’t aid technical dopers
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