This is where you would actually find information about the
list(subscribing, archives, etc.):
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/track-canada
Roger Ruth wrote:
A current thread on the Canadian track mailing list Track-Canada
Listserv <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> asks why the U. S.
didn't send a team to the World University Games, in Turkey. Some
t-and-f darkwing subscribers may be interested and have information or
insights to share.
Some of the things that have been posted on T&F:
"Does anybody know why the Americans didn't send a team?"
----
The Americans did not send a team primarily because of fear of terrorism
since Turkey is predomintely a muslim country.
Please don't quote me on saying that that was their official stance, but
that was the word on the street.....
-----
It would be unfortunate if this were the official reason. 1) Turkey
is in fact a secular state. Islam might dominate there as a religion
but there is also freedom of religion (unlike in truly Muslim states
such as Saudi Arabia and Iran). 2) The safety or danger of American
atheletes would not differ in Helsinki or Turkey, when you think about
(since, as we're starting to see, there are potential terrorists
everywhere). 3) Britian sent a team, and they're everybit the target
that the US is right now.
-----
I'm not sure that the terrorism explanation's going to work. The USATF
didn't send a
track team, but other USA federations sent teams in their sports.
Over-all, the USA finished fifth in the medal count, behind Russia,
China, Japan, and Ukraine.
It may be that USATF was influenced by the unfairness of many
countries violating the official eligibility rules. Official
International University Sports Federation rules require that
participants be full-time university students aged at least 17 and
less than 28. It's when they start to define "full time university
student" that things get weasily:
5.2 Participation
5.2.1 Only the following may participate as competitors in the
Universiade:
a) students who are officially registered for and pursuing a full time
course of study at a university or similar institute whose status as a
university is recognised by the appropriate national academic
authority of their country;
b) former students of the institutions mentioned in a) who have
obtained their academic degree or diploma in the year preceding
the event.
5.2.2 Notwithstanding Art. 5.2.1, in countries with fewer than 2.000.000
inhabitants or with fewer than 5.000 students, students attending
technical or secondary schools may participate in FISU events provided
they have been attending their establishments for at least two years.
Countries wishing to take advantage of the concession in the first
paragraph of Art. 5.2.2 must submit an application to the FISU
Executive Committee at least six months before the scheduled start of
the event. Such an application must be supported by documents
endorsed by the appropriate State or National Academic Authorities.
5.2.3 All competitors must satisfy the following conditions:
a) be a national of the country they represent;
b) be at least 17 and less than 28 years of age on January 1st in the
year of the event.
In past years, the meaning of full time attendance and of "technical or
secondary schools" has been interpreted very loosely by some countries
and apparently without rejection by the Executive Committee.
As I wrote to [EMAIL PROTECTED] in 1997:
An Associated Press story on Nando News today notes that Javier
Sotomayor has won the high jump competition at the University Games.
The 1997 ATFS Annual lists Sotomayor's birthdate as 13 October 1967.
Ineligible, by what Tchaka understands to be the age limit.
More and more, it seems that the only eligibility condition is that the
athlete must be a college student, have been a student at some time, or
have aspirations to become one. There even is disagreement on what a
"college" is. For example, private communications have made it clear
that the equivalent of community college enrolment would not be
considered to
constitute eligibility in Germany or the Netherlands.
As Alice would say, curiouser and curiouser . . .
My 1997 post was followed by one from a former participant, in which
she stated, in part:
"However, having spelled out the "rules," I will now comment that these
rules were not adhered to by athletes and Athletics bodies of *many*
nations. Several athletes that were there in '95 representing the US
were only part-time students, taking a grad class or 2 at night to be
"eligible." I know of members from other countries who were "eligible"
for the WUG and who were only taking correspondance courses--as we
would call them in the US. I do not know whose "job" it is to enforce
WUG eligibilty, it may be up to each individual nation... or maybe no
one is enforcing eligibility."
In summary, I'd say that these abuses of eligibility rules might alone
justify the decision of USATF not to participate in this meet.
