THE MIDDLE East, a generally unhealthy place, fares miserably in the Olympics. Of its 21 countries with a combined population of 360-odd million, only five have won any medals in Rio, and only one—Iran—has reaped better than a bronze. Egypt, with a larger population than Britain, has two bronze medals, against the latter’s 15 gold, 16 silver and 7 bronze. But rather than make headlines from their athletics, the region’s sportsmen have retreated to a more familiar field: politics.The first fracas erupted before Rio’s proceedings even began. Unfamiliar with Levantine intrigue, the Olympic committee put the Israeli and Lebanese teams bound for the opening ceremony on the same bus. But their countries are still at war and frown on fraternisation....
DROP in on a pony club camp somewhere in Britain this summer and, chances are, at least 90% of the children trotting around in jodhpurs will be girls. And so it continues in competitive riding up the rungs—until the very top. But in the Olympic eventing last week, where riders and horses locked hooves in the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country and show-jumping, nine out of the top ten places were taken by men. This could be an anomaly; many of the most successful event riders over the last few decades have been women. It could also be a trend—led by the individual gold-medal winner in Rio, Michael Jung of Germany, who won in London four years ago and this year...
DROP in on a pony club camp somewhere in Britain this summer and, chances are, at least 90% of the children trotting around in jodhpurs will be girls. And so it continues in competitive riding up the rungs—until the very top.
RULE 230 of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rulebook is not common knowledge to most fans watching the Olympics, but it is likely to be among the most frequently invoked regulation of this Olympiad.
RULE 230 of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rulebook is not common knowledge to most fans watching the Olympics, but it is likely to be among the most frequently invoked regulation of this Olympiad. Paragraph two of the laws of race walking define the sport as “a progression of steps so taken that the walker makes contact with the ground, so that no visible (to the human eye) loss of contact occurs”. But try walking at any pace and you quickly realise that keeping one foot in touch with the ground is easier said than done. Competitors who break this rule are first cautioned, then eventually disqualified if they repeatedly infringe it.The imposition of the rules at the...
