> I understand all the concerns below - but any sanctioning body would do
> well to wait out the Casey Martin verdict from the Supreme Court before
> stepping in and inviting a host of lawyers by refusing Marla her record,
if
> she sets one.
A big piece of the Casey Martin case rests on the requirement regarding
access to public golf courses, which is not applicable to this situation.
Also, even if the supreme court were to go along with everything that
Martin's lawyers are asking for, it would not mean that track's rule about
"legitimate" competition would have to be ignored in Runyon's case. There
is a line somewhere between "reasonable accomodation" and a "rule
fundamental to the sport", and just because a court (wrongly) determined
that walking is not fundamental to pro golf does not mean they will make the
same determination about this case as it relates to track and field. That's
assuming there is a lawsuit.
There is substantial precedent for USATF to contact a sanctioned event if
they are concerned over the event being run properly. What would make the
most sense is for someone from the national office, records, or track and
field committees to contact the event and express the concerns about
legitimate competition. I did this on several occasions as sanction chair
for the Connecticut USATF association.
- Ed Parrot
