The sports director of the Swedish Federation, Kajsa Bergqvist, was told that the slipper model, which was banned in the triple jump, would have been accepted at this very moment.
22:10•Updated 22:32
Placed 14th in the triple jump qualification Kristina Hilly won’t be able to jump in Sunday’s final. The matter was resolved late on Friday, when the fate of Sweden’s protest over the qualifying competition was decided in Rome.
– Our objection was rejected. I heard about the decision 20 minutes ago, said the sports director of the Swedish Athletics Federation Kajsa Bergqvist Urheilulle Italian time at 20:35.
Sweden demanded that instead of 12 jumpers, 15 athletes, including Mäkelä and Ruotsin Shelter Åskag.
The reason for the protest was a big topic of conversation in the competition city on Friday: in the triple jump qualification, no less than three athletes who made it to the next round wore Adidas’ Adizero TJ/PV jumping shoes, specially designed for the triple jump and pole vault.
Prohibited in field sports
They are marked as prohibited equipment in the World Athletics lists of the International Athletics Federation, both in the triple jump and in the pole vault and other field sports because of their too high heel part.
These athletes were from Spain Ana Peleteiro–CompaeroSlovenian Neat Filipino and Italy Daria Derkach. Everyone’s footwear passed the equipment check in the gathering space, i.e. the calling room.
GM of the Finnish Sports Association Jani Danish told Urheilu after the competition that the union did not have time within the half-hour protest time to prepare a protest about the situation, which seemed like a clear violation of the rules.
However, Finland demanded an explanation of what happened from the jury of the games.
Ilta-Sanomat saysthat Finland has now made an additional question to the European Athletics Federation about the rejection of Sweden’s protest.
Confusing basics
High jump legend Bergqvist told Urheilu that he was confused by the reasons according to which Sweden’s protest was rejected.
– The shoe model in question was apparently approved between June 7 and July 1 due to reasons related to the ratification process. After that it will be banned again. It sounds strange, but this is the explanation we were given.
This means that the model should no longer be used to jump in the Olympic Games in Paris.
On a general level, Bergqvist thought it was special that all athletes by no means had equal knowledge of the matter in question.
For example Senni Strait would have jumped on that pair of Adizero if I had known it would pass inspection.