Sonia O’Sullivan: When is it not okay to assist another athlete in distress?

Not long now until runners of all abilities take to the cross-country season, that most basic of sports, running across fields and over undulating hills, through mud and rough ground, no course ever easy or the same.

The season is actually finishing up on this side of the world, one of the main events being last month’s Australian national cross-country championships, staged in Queensland, with around 1,200 athletes across all age groups, over distances ranging from 2,000m to 10km.

The event was held in the pleasant country town of Maleny, and proved as unpredictable as you would expect from any cross-country race. Only for some of us who travelled up from Melbourne in search of some warmer temperatures it wasn’t the shorts and T-shirt weather we all craved. Nor was the golf course as flat and smooth as you might expect, but a properly energy-sapping test. There was very little opportunity of getting into a smooth rhythm.

Sadly, for me, the lasting image wasn’t the brave running of the winners, but a young athlete in obvious distress at the finish, and without getting the assistance she clearly needed at the time.

Sonia O’Sullivan: Success in sport doesn’t begin or end with funding

---

Sonia O’Sullivan: The loneliness of the long-distance running circuit

---

Sonia O’Sullivan: Irish athletics ready to scale fresh heights

---

Sonia O’Sullivan: Following in Sophie’s footsteps to the medal podium

---

Cross-country running is designed to be tough, not just a test of who is the fastest, but the strongest, mentally as well as physically. Everyone knows that. But what I couldn’t free from my mind was an incident that occurred in the junior girls’ race: staged over 6,000m, for girls aged 18 and 19. It’s a step up in distance for most competitors and, as such, also sees a notable drop off in the number of athletes taking part.

One of the things in a cross-country race is the speed at which that the race sets off. Everyone is trying to get a good position, to settle in and get dragged along. Unfortunately, some tend to set off faster than they are capable of, and can end up in a world of pain in the latter stages of the race.

I recognised this runner, from Victoria, and would have expected her to be up near the front. Instead she was fading badly with just 200m to go – not a flat 200m final sprint, but a short steep climb to a crest, followed by a sharp decent, before turning in to the finish up another cruel, final bumpy slope.

A few girls went past her, and by then it was obvious this girl was in real trouble. We’ve seen it before at the end of marathons and triathlons, when an athlete can barely stand up, let alone keep moving forward at any pace just to get across the finish line.

‘Don’t touch her’

It’s hard to watch when you see an athlete in this state, but what can you do? Part of the issue here is the confusion over what exactly is considered “assistance”. I spoke to a number of parents afterwards, who were also distressed by the situation, and there didn’t seem to be anything in place to deal with what could potentially be life-threatening.

There were also barriers between the course and the spectators, the only access therefore at the finish line, for officials and the athletes running in.

It was also distressing that there was such little concern or aid from the officials towards the health and safety of this athlete

It took over two minutes for this athlete to reach the finish line, over a distance of 200m, while over 20 athletes ran past, and not a single one or an official came to her assistance. I heard one coach shouting “don’t touch her, don’t touch her” – the implication being if somebody was to assist the athlete she would most likely be disqualified.

What I couldn’t understand is why any young athlete, falling to the ground, pulling herself up and eventually crawling across the finish line, would even care if she was disqualified, a race she would probably rather forget than be reminded of because her name still appears in the results.

Looking on from the sidelines it was also distressing that there was such little concern or aid from the officials towards the health and safety of this athlete. After eventually crawling across the finish line, still lying uncomfortably at the base of the finish line post, her mother and her coach attended her, and you can only imagine how they were feeling as they wondered what to do next.

Athletes, officials and spectators need to be made more aware of the protocols here, as laid down by the IAAF, the governing body of athletes.

For example, IAAF Rule 144.4 (b) clarifies that “medical examination/treatment and/or physiotherapy necessary to enable an athlete to participate or continue participation once on the competition area” is not to be considered “assistance” and therefore allowed.

Also, rule 144.3(f) states that “receiving physical support from another athlete (other than helping to recover to a standing position) that assists in making forward progression in the race shall be considered assistance, and are therefore not allowed”.

This implies that if an athlete is helped by a fellow athlete to simply “recover to a standing position”, then there is no fear of being disqualified. We do see that in some elite races.

The IAAF also propose to extend the rule from 2019, so it will be possible for any official (and, by extension, any person part of the competition’s organising team) to help any athlete “recover to a standing position” without having the athlete disqualified.

On further inspection, I also discovered that the medical delegate in the event has “the power to order an athlete to withdraw before, or to immediately retire from an event during, competition” (Rule 113).

There needs to be a greater awareness of all this, a duty of care, from all involved officials and fellow athletes so that people are not afraid to help in such a situation.

It’s not the first or last time we will see this happen and there needs to be in place the ability to weigh up a situation, and take action for the health and safety of the athlete.

Cross country is a sport known for tough athletes who are determined and will do everything to finish and never give up. But if things start to shut down then someone on the outside needs to make a responsible decision for their health and safety. It’s not okay just to hope for the best.