Gold Medal Winner Disqualified

[factor-fiction]

Did you see the steeplechase winner who took his shirt off and waved it around as he approached the finish line? I thought last night he'd got away with just a yellow card but I see this morning he's been disqualified. Was this the right decision or was it a bit harsh?
https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/video-french-star-whips-off-shirt-starts-celebrating-194948991.html

[murraymints]

Rule no 1 ....competitors must clearly display credentials during event....his own silly fault...totally unprofessional...!

[factor-fiction]

I was hoping he'd trip over that final hurdle.

[Old_Geezer]

It seems very harsh indeed and IMO undefendable. If it is in the rules then they need overhauling. A slap on the wrist would be more appropriate. The award is for winning not for winning in top hat & tails.

Anyway he was surely trying to display his credentials to the crowd.

[factor-fiction]

Maybe he should have taken his shorts off instead.

[Old_Geezer]

Probably would have but he reached the tape too fast.

[murraymints]

Rules is rules !! I was a member of athletic team and ran competitively for a number of years...you KNOW what's acceptable and what the consequences are if you don't keep the rules....not harsh...gung ho and arrogant !

[Sqad]

Taking his Gold medal away is completely over the top as a form of punishment.......a gentle admonishment would be more appropriate.

Yes.....it is against the rules, but in the excitement and euphoria of the termination of years and years of daily training by achieving one's goal, then surely one should forgive this moment of emotional behavior.

Give him his Gold medal back.

[murraymints]

Discipline within the sport is important ...and self control...he KNEW full well what the outcome would be...whether it's the Olympics or county meet...it's an automatic penalty !!

[waterboatman]

He's an eejit. He knows the rules. Can only blame himself.

[Mick-the-Miller]

Unbelivably stupid and he deserves all he gets! IMHO

[Peter Pedant]

If they have been told to keep their clothes on, then they have to do so.

Footballers were told this here a few years ago despite the Celtic habit ( er Mahedien aint a celt ) of taking their clothes off to fight -The dying gladiator etc...

so.. he cant be helped across the line
and he cant cross it on a donkey

and he has to be wearing his clothes....

[Quizmonster]

Below is an extract from the Telegraph's report on the incident. It shows that this boorish oaf does not even deserve to be ON an international sports track never mind a gold medal winner.

"In a wider context it did not help Mekhissi-Benabbad that he had already amassed an extensive behaviour of this type of loutish behaviour.
At the last European finals in Helsinki in 2012 the event mascot, a 14-year-old girl, came forward to offer him a gift, which he swatted to the ground before shoving her several steps backwards. A similar incident unfolded at the previous European Championships in Barcelona, where he asked the official mascot to kneel down before pushing it to the ground.
This was all in addition to becoming embroiled in an extraordinary punch-up with a French team-mate, Mehdi Baala, at the 2011 Monaco Diamond League meeting, raining blows upon his compatriot while they were still on the track."

[Quizmonster]

The first use of 'behaviour' above should perhaps have read 'catalogue'.

[scooping]

What kind of moron doesn't know the rules applying to his own sport?

[Canary42]

So, in the opinion of some he should be let off because he was excited - I hope there aren't any paedos reading this.

[Bazile]

The ones that have had their medals up graded , surely cant be happy knowing that they did not finish in that position .

I wouldn't be happy stating that i'm a european champion - when i did not cross the line first

[Quizmonster]

I'm not a football fan, Bazile, and I can't be bothered to google for the details, but I understand Celtic were recently soundly beaten by a Polish club...until it was revealed that the Poles had fielded a player who was not entitled to be there. They're now out and Celtic are in.
Was that acceptable? I certainly think so and - far from being unhappy - I imagine that Celtic's players and fans were delighted. In the same way, I understand that the disqualification of the runner came about because one of the upgraded national teams had complained about his flouting of the rules and rightly so.

[Svejk]

he's a character, isn't he. I'll keep an eye out for him.

[joeluke]

He's an arrogant d1ck (typical frog), rules are rules and he obviously knew them so no sympathy at all