What qualifies as an Olympic sport?

To qualify as an Olympic sport, an activity must, in the first instance, be recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) insofar as it is administered by an international organisation, which is not governmental in the political sense. Recognition does not, in itself, guarantee qualification as an Olympic sport; chess, for example, is recognised by the IOC, but does not qualify by virtue of being wholly a ‘mind sport’.

Once recognised, an activity may qualify as a sport, a discipline within a sport or an event with a discipline. Either way, the governing body of the activity must submit a petition for scrutiny by the IOC. As stated in the Olympic Charter, eligibility criteria include being widely pursued in 75 countries on four continents, for men, and in 40 countries on three continents, for women. Any activity must also increase the ‘value and appeal’ of the Olympic Games. Further any activity that cannot adopt and implement the World Anti-Doping Code cannot qualify as an Olympic sport.

The Olympic Charter also states that the programme of events should be reviewed after each edition of the Games. Activities such as motor racing, which requires mechanical propulsion, cannot qualify as Olympic sports, but plenty of other ‘mainstream’ sports, including cricket, have come and gone down the years.

What is the Emsley Carr Mile?

The Emsley Carr Mile is a one-mile, or 1,609-metre, running race for men, entry to which is by invitation only. The race has been run annually in Britain since 1953, when it was inaugurated by Sir William Carr, in memory of his late father, Sir Emsley Carr, who had been editor of the ‘News of the World’ newspaper for 50 years between 1891 and his death in 1941.

The Emsley Carr Mile was conceived at a time when several athletes, notably Australian John Landy, had come agonisingly close to achieving the elusive four-minute mile. However, by the time of the second renewal, Sir Roger Bannister had already set his historic world record of 3:59.4. In fact, the first athlete to break the four-minute barrier in the Emsley Carr Mile was the 1956 winner, Derek Ibbotson, who would go on to set a world record of 3:57.2 the following year.

Until 1969, the Emsley Carr Mile was run, exclusively, at the now demolished White City Stadium in London, but has subsequently been run at various venues around the country, including Crystal Palace in London, Gateshead Stadium in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and, more recently, Olympic Stadium in London.

Historically, famous British middle-distance runners to win the Emsley Carr Mile include David Moorcroft, Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and Peter Elliott, but the last Briton to win was former European junior champion Jake Wightman in 2017. In 2000, Hicham El Guerrouj, who was, and still is, the world record holder for the men’s mile, ran the fastest ever Emsley Carr Mile, in a time of 3:45.96; the Moroccan athlete returned to Crystal Palace to win the race again in 2001 and 2002.

What was the men’s javelin world record to prior to 1986?

The current world record for the men’s javelin is 98.48 metres, set by Jan Železný in Jena, Germany on May 25, 1996. However, prior to April, 1986, when changes to the 800 gram javelin specification were brought into force by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Technical Commitee, the world record was 104.80 metres, set by Uwe Hohn in East Berlin, East Germany on July 20, 1984.

The specification changes involved moving the centre of mass forward 4cm and bluntening the tip of the javelin, so that it was less aerodynamic. The changes were implemented to guarantee that the javelin landed point first and to reduce its flight distance. The new specification successfully reduced flight distance by approximately 10%, but javelin manufacturers responded by producing the so-called ‘Nemeth’ javelin, designed by former world record holder Miklós Németh.

The Nemeth javelin employed a roughened, or serrated, tail, which improved the flight characteristics of the javelin. However, this model was outlawed by the IAAF Technical Committee in August, 1991, and several world records, including the 96.96 metres set by Seppo Räty in Punkalaidun, Finland in June, 1991, were expunged from the record books. At that stage, the world record reverted to the previous record of 89.58 metres, set by Steve Backley, with a non-Nemeth javelin, in Stockholm, Sweden on July 2, 1990.

Who holds the record for the longest throw ever in the men’s javelin?

The world record for the men’s javelin was first recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 1912 and progressed, steadily, until 1980. However, on April 23 that year, Hungarian Ferenc Paragi threw 96.72 metres, beating the previous record, set by compatriot Miklós Németh four years earlier, by 2.14 metres. On May 15, 1983, American Tom Petranoff threw 99.72 metres, beating the existing world record by exactly 3.00 metres, but even that effort was eclipsed, just over a year later, by East German Uwe Hohn.

On July 20, 1984, at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Stadion in what was, at the time, East Berlin, Hohn threw a prodigious 104.80 metres, shattering the previous world record by 5.08 metres. Hohn remains the only man ever to have throw a javelin beyond 100 metres. Two years later, the design of the javelin was changed, moving the centre of gravity forward, with result of shortening distances and increasing the likelihood of a ‘point-first’ landing. Consequently, all previous world records were rescinded.

Similarly, in 1991, the serrated tail, or Németh, model javelin was made illegal by the IAAF and the world record reverted to that set the previous year with a legal model. By way of comparison, the current world record for the men’s javelin is the 98.48 metres thrown by Czech legend Jan Železný on May 25, 1996.

 

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