Should There Be A Type Of Colour Bar In Athletics?

[anotheoldgit]

Both male and female London marathon winners were Kenyan, but nothing unusual in that, since most wining athletic runners seem to be of African decent.

This goes on for me to ask this very controversial question, should there be separate sporting completions for blacks and whites.

Before most of you go off on one, just think about it, we would not think of placing males and females together, athletes with physical disabilities against those with none, and certain drugs to enhance performance are rightly not allowed.

So why are blacks who obviously outshine whites in such physical activities allowed to compete against whites on what should be after all a fair and level playing field.

[ToraToraTora]

No, silly idea.

[youngmafbog]

And for those of mixed race?

[Baldric]

It is a level playing field, maybe the lighter skinned competitors need to up their game a little.

[youngmafbog]

or buy better drugs.

[jno]

they used to argue that West Indies cricket teams produced better fast bowlers because of some black gene or other.

Now they don't.

[retrocop]

Well Hitler didn't achieve that in 1936 so why should it be considered now?

[Bazile]

aog - have you mixed up your medication this morning ?

[anotheoldgit]

youngmafbog

/// And for those of mixed race? ///

Interesting point Ma, but don't most of those class themselves as black?

[New Judge]

Definitely separate competitions in the swimming events then. (When did you last see a black winner - or even competitor - in a top class swimming event?)

Not a good idea IMHO. Too many variants of "colour" to make it even worthy of consideration.

[RandyMarsh]

What do we do with the brown people?

[Bazile]

Please get it right - it's 'dual heritage'

[jackthehat]

Perhaps mixed-race athletes could be forced to compete whilst wearing one lead-weighted diving-boot.....Whereas completely black athletes have to wear two?

[anotheoldgit]

Bazile

/// aog - have you mixed up your medication this morning ? ///

There you go, not satisfied to take the question on, think about it and then make a reasonable answer, you just have to be personally insulting.

[RandyMarsh]

and be blindfolded

[ToraToraTora]

certain sports do favour some ethnic origins, to tinker around with that is opening a huge can of worms. I mean there are very few black swimmers that are any good so we'd have to do the opposite in swimming.

[Baldric]

Or maybe some sort of handicapping system such as belts loaded with differing amounts of lead to be carried, the darker you are, the more lead you carry, you could have a colour chart at the start.
Just a thought.

[naomi24]

Silly idea. The list of winners includes all sorts (no pun intended).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_winners_of_the_London_Marathon

[EDDIE51]

Daft idea, the reason Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes are so dominant in the marathon is due to the fact that they come from generations of people who live at high altitude. They have a higher concentration of red blood cells than those 'born and bred' at lower altitude due to the need to get sufficient Oxygen from the lower Oxygen concentration at altitude. It is not the skin color that is a factor it is where they and their ancestors were born and evolved. The higher Oxygen levels they are able to achieve due to their ancestry is a significant advantage in events requiring stamina rather than outright speed. Native born Tibetan athletes would have a similar advantage but Tibet has very little history of long distance competitive running.

[anotheoldgit]

retrocop

/// Well Hitler didn't achieve that in 1936 so why should it be considered now? ///

I am not suggesting a complete bar from athletics for all blacks, that would be white superiority as I think that is what Hitler would have liked.

But what I am suggesting is the idea that since blacks are superior to whites in such things why not? as I have already said it is quite acceptable (if not demanded that male and females are segregated in certain events).

[EDDIE51]

How long before we hear demands for 'transgender' athletes to have their own competitions? I am surprised it has not happened already!