Athletics and Football (extract)

ATHLETIC MEETINGS 199 they may be apt to lean, although perfectly honest in their opinions. The committee, however, have left in their hands everything which does not relate to the racing itself and the declarationof the winners. Just as the judges' decision is final as to who are the winnersof the races, the starter has an absolute discretionto call back the men even after he has fired the pistol, and either to declare a start or ' no start.' On one point only —a point whichwas onlysettled after much anxious discussion, and some considerableopposition—has the starter no discretion at all. If a competitor oversteps his mark before the pistol is fired, the.starter is bound to put him back a yard in a sprint race, 2 yards in a quarter, and so on. It is contended bymany that such a rule should not apply to a championship meeting ; byothers, that it is wanted more at a championship than at any other, as the temptation to get a flying start is stronger. A compromisebetween the conflicting views, that in a champion­ ship meeting the starter should be allowed a discretion to put back men or not as he thought fit, was finally rejected by the committeewhich framed the rules, it being thought, and in our opinion wisely,that a rigidand inflexible rule was better, as the starter could only judge of acts, and not of intentions, and would be unable to decide whether the overstepping of the mark was accidental or intentional. As it is, experience has justified the framing of the rule in its present shape, and under the present rigid lawsthere has been no attempt at a repetition of the fiascos of some old championshipmeetings, wheremen running in the hundred yards race werekept fiveminutes at the post making false starts, while there was every opportunity for the worst man to win by wearing out the patience of the starter. The judges of walkinghave a similar discretion in deciding as to the fairnessor unfairness of the walkers'gait, and this, too, is a decided improvement upon an old rule often employed, whichobligeda certainnumber of ' cautions' beforedisqualifica­ tion, although there was a special exception that there should be no ' cautions' in the last lap. The maxim upon whichthe