Council likely to discuss false start rule, unlikely to change it

By John Bagratuni Aug 29, 2011, 7:30 GMT

Daegu, South Korea - The false start rule could be on the agenda after the Usain Bolt saga when the council of the ruling athletics body IAAF meets Sunday, but instant changes were not expected.

IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said Monday that the council has the power to make interim changes to rules in the sport.

But it appeared unlikely that the no-false-start rule, applied only last year, would be altered again just because the biggest star in the sport was hit.

'There is no doubt it will be on the table, but this is not show business,' David said. 'We are not there to make a star performer perform.'

After all, no one had complained earlier in Daegu when British 400m Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu and former European 100m champion Dwain Chambers among others went out.

'The rule is the rule,' said German IAAF council member Helmut Digel, who didn't expect the issue to be discussed Sunday. 'No one said anything about Chambers, and now something should be changed just because Usain is bigger?'

The IAAF said in a statement: 'While the IAAF is, of course, disappointed that Usain Bolt false-started in the final of the 100m, it is important to remember that a sport's credibility depends on its rules, and they must also be applied consistently and fairly for all athletes.'

The disqualification of the triple 2008 Olympic and 2009 world champion Bolt on Sunday sent shockwaves through the athletics community and raised the question of whether the previous rule applied from 2001 to 2009, under which one false start was allowed per race, should be applied again for fairness reasons.

Silver medallist Walter Dix of the United States and bronze medallist Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis were among those calling for a change back to the old rules ahead of the 2012 Olympics in London.

But London organizer Sebastian Coe told the BBC he does not expect a change, even at the risk of losing a top attraction.

'The rules are the rules,' Coe said. 'They were changed in 2010, and I think that is right. The start of a race is part of the process, and it is a skill you have to come to terms with.'

Bolt himself went into hiding after tearing his shirt in frustration over the error.

His website said he would be running the 200m and 4x100m as planned, and the IAAF quoted him as saying on the training track late Sunday: 'I have nothing to say right now. I need some time.'