COME IN, WELCOME TO A NEW DESERT! (4Th PART)

WE REMEMBER 3Rd PART WAS PUBLISHED IN AUGUST 2011

I would like to begin last part of this article giving some details over some aspects of the standards that athletes need to achieve if They wanna attend to World Championships or Paralympic Games.

These aspects are a sort of unethical (knowingly if one acts) because as I commented in the previous part of this article that the seeding was comparable to the classification standards criteria used, that some “experts” have proposed for the last Paralympic World Championships in Athletics celebrated last January 2011 in New Zealand and for London 2012 Paralympic Games…

 

What happen in some clases where no feeding is done? I mean Do all classes have access to World Championships or Paralympic Games? … Please do not answer yet, I will provide a data verging on ridiculous or absurd, so breathe deeply, because these lines have no waste.

In women class (T51) who are the most severe wheelchair racers (Spinal cord injuries C5) and who should be really supported by the governing body which manage this sport, considering these women as a great example  for people who suffer traumatic incidence and in a second they can leave 85% paralyzed body ...



 

T51 Class racers for  attending World Championships they were forced to set a new world record in every distance and I will explain it in a few line.

It´s ever funnier that in this classification criteria is quoted “elegible clases T51/52” and the “fanatics” who create these “criteria” they finish so quiet… (A T52 Class racer can develope almost the double of power Watts/Kg than a T51 and if you wanna realize it just read any scientific article of biomechanics applied to wheelchair racing in any scientific data base like Pubmed)… I don´t know if label it as a lack of scruples because of create a standars classification criteria more difficult than the current World Records… Please let me detail carefully all this load of shit that these “experts” have created, allow me to continue bringing to light some dire data.

Talking about B standards (give only one place for a country in one event) for attend to World Championships or Paralympic Games in the T51 women class (currently fulminated):

In the 100m event the standard was 25´´(T51 class women World record Hill, V. USA 32´´08 27/08 1989) … Can you imagine Usain Bolt running some seconds under his famus 9´´59? Can you imagine to Usain, Tyson Gay, etc… in the same situation? In July they will have a forced vacation and there won´t be any sprinter in London (Ladies and Gentleman from IPC Athletics BRAVO!)

[caption id="attachment_515" align="aligncenter" width="490" caption="With this wonderful classification criteria there won´t be 100m event in London 2012"]

In the 200m event the standard was 47´´ (T51 class women World record Francklin, Shannon USA 56´´02 8/07 1998)… Can you imagine Usain would  be forced to achieve 18 seconds in 200m to take part in the World Championships? (Ladies and Gentleman from IPC Athletics BRAVO!)

In the 400m event the standard was 1´30´´ (T51 class women World record Francklin, Shannon USA 1´48´´.68 7/07 1998) … Can you imagine Michael Jhonson to be forced to achieve a couple of seconds faster time than his stratospheric 43´´13 World record? (Ladies and Gentleman from IPC Athletics BRAVO!)

 

[caption id="attachment_516" align="aligncenter" width="181" caption="Jhonson forced to run under his World Record to attend Olympic Games?"]

In the 800m event the standard was 3´50´´ (T51 class women World record Leticia Lopez Mexico 4´11´´.12 /07/ 1997) … Can you imagine Maria Lourdes Mutola be forced to run under 1´50´´ to attend World Championships? (Ladies and Gentleman from IPC Athletics BRAVO!)

All these data do not involve any kind of subjectivity because the statistics leave no doubt, I´ll be straight and I´m pretty sure you won´t like what I´m gonna tell you but at this point there is no turning back.

As We know International Paralympic Committee (IPC) should  ensure all people with disabilities to be integrated, indeed IPC  should try to inspire this society with the values that infuse the sport and, even more must try that society will see in people with any type of mild or severe disability, an inspirational model…

Do you know the inspirational power who has a person with a high cervical cord injury? Do you know these athletes need help to jump into their racing chairs? Do you know they need help to wear their gloves? Do you know they need to be driven to safety training areas? Do you even know they need help for some routines in daily life?

You don´t really know it and if you know you don´t really take care of it because as I explained above with the famous “crazy” standards, you´re vetoing (yes, yes, you read correctly) the lawful right of participation from any T51 Woman at World Championships and even more at Paralympic Games… You´re vetoing to a human been his/her lawful right and just if there would be only one in the  world who could inspire people who have suffered a traumatic tragedy (Basic Sport Development Strategy) that could be an argument for let you know such an act deserves only cataloged with the term SHAMEFUL.

To finish this article and due to I´m talking about lack of etichal in the qualification standards criteria I would like to ask the “experts” who made it Why do you write in your famous criteria in the 10000m distance eligible clases T51-54?

As I explained in the previous part of this article that the 21´00´´ was even impossible to achieve for the vast majority of T54 racers (Non arms affection) so I don´t need how stupid the standard would be for a T51 racer (High Quadriplegia) Which World Record was set by Strobel, Stefan Germany is  36´10´´75 (27/06/2010) and even for a T52 (Low Quadriplegia) which World record was set by Geierspichler, Thomas Austria 25´59´´13 4/06/2005)…

Maybe I should ask to the “experts” Comittee if you believe in Miracles because a T51 racer (Average Power generated 35Watts/Kg) and a T52 racer (Average Power generated 65 Watts/Kg) if they do not increase their generated power to 120-160Watts/Kg as T54 class (Non affected arms racers) and that would be consider as a Miracle… If they do not generate this power it will be hard or ven impossible to achieve the already famous twenty one minutes standard, so let me tell you once again (Ladies and Gentleman from IPC Athletics BRAVO!).

 



With all what I´ve explained in this long article I would like to say we need an International Federation for wheelchair racing (maybe an Athletics Federation for Physical Disable, Sensitive Disable, Cerebral Palsy and Intellectual Disability). A Federation with extremely qualified staff, whose attitude is always in order to achieve a gradual development of the sport and not continue to stand by and comment that in two years everything changes because the last thing I Heard from an IPC Athletis member in Christchurch was awful… “If I change the classification criteria for London 2012 based in stats (Can you tell me when a class with severe disability athletes is gonna have more athletes than a mild disability class?)  too many Nations members would inmediatly call me to my office in Bonn…

If you do not want to face to solve problems and display a tremendous immaturity, and a considerable lack of leadership, give way to people willing to work for the sport, and please consider to take a vacation period, our sport will appreciate it so much.

From now to Rio too many things there need to be done and maybe too many athletes who won´t compete in London (because they won´t have their events in the official program) will give up… I would encourage them keep working and training hard and   fight for their rights.

For all these “experts” who are thinking I wanna be part of this Federation, just let them now that after my athletics career, I wanna be a physiologist advisor for athletes once I finish doctorate… of course there are many people with appropriate academic degree and even with and a much more productive attitude than yours for thia sport back to what it was and in which all classes have the same equal treatment.

Honestly, I think we can not reach a worse situation and to work under the ignorance or under some specific interests that do not respond to any ethical purpose (Low classes or severe disability athletes are not been consider) can create a real desert, the one you “experts” have created.

Best regards,

Santiago Sanz                                                       

This article is dedicated to:

Clayton Gerein (Best ever wheelchair racer in class T52, who died suddenly in January 2010 and as I would be extremely upset with this situation)

IPC Athletics still has not make any tribute to Clayton ... by the way it is too late for it.



To every athletes that like me won´t attend London 2012 due to they won´t have their event in the official program.

To my wife Pilar and my daughters Ana and Daniela because in case they suffer an unjust situation never give up. They will have all my support.

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Santiago Sanz

Professional wheelchair racer

Degree in Sport Sciences and Physical Activity by University of Valencia

Researcher in Physiology parameters in exercise under extreme and moderate hypoxia