WMA

Liam Byrne pulled a Mexico City at Malaga, risking being kicked out of the meet for showing Gibraltar flag.

Rants September 9, 2018

Will Malaga become WMA’s ‘Nazi Olympics’? Gibraltar M40 runner protests flag ban

Liam Byrne took fourth in Heat 5 of the M40 800 prelims Sunday at Malaga, but he quickly became the focus of world media when he displayed his flag after the race. The flag of Gibraltar. In the results, he’s listed as representing “WMA.” Media reports say he was forced to run as a “neutral” athlete. His time of 2:03.49 (see results here) means he’ll likely have a hard time making the final. (Top qualifier was 1:58.08 by Kenya’s Isaac Kiberenge.) But he’s apparently the only Gibraltar athlete (of five originally entered) still competing in Malaga. Would love to see…

Margit Jungmann will succeed Stan Perkins as WMA prez (in my vernacular), but with a true electoral mandate.

International September 8, 2018

Margit Jungmann, beating Yank and Finn, becomes first female WMA president

Margit Jungmann of Germany, a former high school teacher and coach, schooled her competition Saturday and easily won election to the presidency of World Masters Athletics, becoming the first woman in that role in the body’s 43-year history. Margit won 110 votes — ahead of American Gary Snyder’s 12 and Finland’s Vesa Lappalainen with 19. (Corrected vote from original post.) The former WMA Vice President succeeds Australia’s Stan Perkins, who must be envious (since he won his first election by one vote, albeit under fraudulent circumstances.) The German masters website says she had given up her position as chairperson of…

Rants August 29, 2018

Wonder of wonders: WMA wallops Malaga LOC for not having Wi-Fi at stadiums

Until Tuesday, you could count on World Masters Athletics to sing its own version of “Home on the Range” — where never is heard a discouraging word. Now, for the first time, our governing body is showing fangs. With the blessing of lame-duck Prez Stan Perkins, the WMA homepage is criticizing the host of a world meet before it even starts. WMA roared: “It has now been confirmed that there will be no wi-fi coverage available for the athletes, officials or anyone else attending the various athletics stadiums and venues in the upcoming WMA Track and Field Athletics Championships in…

University of Malaga's two-tone Mondo track will hos

International May 22, 2018

Mondo in Málaga: Is that your favorite track and field surface?

At WMA worlds in September, sprinters will be pleased to learn, Mondo is the surface of at least one track — at the University of Málaga. But that’s considered a secondary venue. The main one is the City of Málaga’s combined football (soccer) and athletics (track) stadium. Unsure which spikes are recommended for the non-Mondo stadium, but pyramid and Christmas tree spikes (specified for Mondo) may suffice for all. In any case, the 2012 and 2016 Olympics were contested on Mondo — because it’s speed friendly. (I’ve heard that distance runners have a problem with it, but oh well.) What…

Oleg of Ukraine still gets credit for world and Euro medals despite doping suspension.

Doping May 4, 2018

Two dopers still listed in WMA world outdoor results nearly 2 years later

In late December, we learned that M50 high jumper Oleg Kramar of Ukraine had failed a doping test at the Eurovets Ancona indoor meet in April 2016. So he was handed a 4-year ban. Recently, WMA corrected results from 2017 Daegu indoor worlds, where Oleg’s name went from second to DQ. So you’d expect results from Ancona and 2016 Perth outdoor worlds to change as well. (Oleg won silvers at Ancona and Perth.) But nope. Results still show him untouched. I’m unsure if medals have been redistributed. Same for suspended M55 Perth world champion Volodymyr Shelever of Australia. His name…