Human experiment in Doha

Human experiment  in Doha

The opening weekend of the Doha World Championship will be remembered by the general public for its huge human experiments. With 50km walk race and a women's marathon behind, the IAAF leadership may well be asking, what was the point?

The three World Champs race were at midnight, which was already a disaster. Only few Europeans even watched the race  on TV, so practically runners and walkers competed without spectators. It is not worth of World Champs medals.

In the marathon and 50 km walk race, a total of 50 dnf ( did not finish ) were seen due to inhumane conditions. Compare the London World Championships 2017 had dnf overall figure of 21. Already, these numbers tell us what Doha was all about, even for top athletes, in totally inhuman conditions.

This did not come as a surprise to the IAAF. Before the race athletes were offered tablets, with the permission of the IAAF Medical Commission, that contained a sensor that transmitted data on the athlete's body behavior under extreme conditions. I don't even dare to say what kind of human experimentation comes to mind.

So all this happened to the blessing of the IAAF leadership. The IAAF  is now led by a record number of former athletes, starting with the chairman Sebastian Coe. It seems strange that no one played the alarm bells before the Doha. Why no one thought about sports and athlete, why had to accept all the demands of the Doha organizers and keep these heavy, off-stadium races in inhumane conditions.

For many athletes, these races were the last place to take World Champion medal. Now it was made impossible by the circumstances.

Outside the stadium competitions, the World Championship medals could well have been competing somewhere else, at a reasonable time and under normal circumstances, even in Europe or USA. Then walking and marathon competitors  would have got their attention.

 Saturdays shining star was Jamaican Tajay Gayle. Tajay Gayle's 869 jump in the long jump lifted the young Jamaican to the top of the world, Gayle is turning 23 age at the beginning of August.

Christian Coleman, for his part, decided to jump on the big boots left by Usain Bolt. Coleman  broke his record in the 100 meters final at 9.76. He has also turned 23 this year. Bolt, by the way, ran the current WR at  9.58 at the same age to win the World Champs in Berlin 2009.

Bolt always ran his lap of honor in full stadium , while Coleman did his own lap of honor in Doha for empty audiences. What a shame, Qatar.

Foto: Jari Porttila