I'm sure Campbell will be happy that he's been called a true gent but not sure what he'll make of being called English...
Anyhow yes this is all a bit sad that our sport has been brought to a level where the lawyers decide the outcome. What can we do to stop it again?
Well videoing at this level is probably inevitable but I really don't think it should be allowed at grass roots. The sort of shoulder drops and necking that top athletes can do on white water just isn't going to be an issue at Div 2 down. We've all been the subject of mis-judging - it happens, we just need to try and make it happen as little as possible (judge training, briefing, siting of judging positions etc). Personally I don't even protest a touch I know didn't happen even when there's section judges - it's just a game to me so doens't matter that much. So I would never go as far as getting somebody to video me at all races just in case, which is what some would do if rules were changed.
The other thing I think the ICF should be to put some legal clauses in their entry for Worlds etc to bind the national associations to the jury at the time having final decision. Any judgement that is allowed to leave the river is not good for the sport.
Billaut World Champion
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and on a more serious note, for those who read french, here is the official press release from last september from the french federation where they justify the appeal
http://www.ffck.org/renseig....616.pdf
for those who don't read french, the reason for the appeal is not discussing whether Cipressi had missed a gate or not but protesting about the fact that the Competion commitee overruled the decision of the chief judge that had given Cipressi a 50 and awarded Billaut as the winner. Apparently the ICF rules do not allow such thing as appeal (from the italians) to the Competition committee , and also that the competition committee had no right to overrule the decision of the chief judge
and in the conclusion , as a justification of the appeal , the french federation says that it is aimed at "defending its athletes but also at alerting the ICF regarding the reforms that need to be conducted before the Bejing olympics"
http://www.ffck.org/renseig....616.pdf
for those who don't read french, the reason for the appeal is not discussing whether Cipressi had missed a gate or not but protesting about the fact that the Competion commitee overruled the decision of the chief judge that had given Cipressi a 50 and awarded Billaut as the winner. Apparently the ICF rules do not allow such thing as appeal (from the italians) to the Competition committee , and also that the competition committee had no right to overrule the decision of the chief judge
and in the conclusion , as a justification of the appeal , the french federation says that it is aimed at "defending its athletes but also at alerting the ICF regarding the reforms that need to be conducted before the Bejing olympics"
It might sound ridiculous, but awarding 3 golds should be acceptable to all, and a lot fairer.
Surely given the unpredictable nature of slalom racing, it would be better to call the world champion the paddler who has the most points at the end of all the world cup races ? Who were the top 3 by the way ?
For me slalom is just a pastime to keep fit and enjoy whitewater, with my own personal modest goals. However at the top level it is a paddlers livelihood. Unless you're near the top of prem, is arguing about 1 race result really going to change your life ? ???
Surely given the unpredictable nature of slalom racing, it would be better to call the world champion the paddler who has the most points at the end of all the world cup races ? Who were the top 3 by the way ?
For me slalom is just a pastime to keep fit and enjoy whitewater, with my own personal modest goals. However at the top level it is a paddlers livelihood. Unless you're near the top of prem, is arguing about 1 race result really going to change your life ? ???
From canoeicf.com:
Segolene Paquet, Thursday, 18 January 2007
Regarding the title of Slalom Racing World Champion in K1 Men awarded in July 2006 to Stefano Cipressi (ITA), the ICF Board of Directors have decided, in the interests of fairness and sportsmanship, that a further Gold Medal is awarded to Julien Billaut (FRA). They are both declared World Champion 2006.
With regard to the Appeal made 11th January 2007 by Julien Billaut through the Federation Française de Canoe Kayak and the British Canoe Union against the decision of the Slalom Racing World Championships 2006 Jury, the Board of Directors considered written and verbal reports of the Jury, the FFCK, and the BCU.
The ICF board of directors determined:
- That article 36.4 of the slalom rules contains some ambiguity which resulted in differing interpretations by the Jury and the Chief Officials.
- That the Jury’s decision to accept the Italian Federation’s appeal and overturn the Chief Judges decision was reasonable due to their interpretation of article 36.4 as “the Judges” referring solely to gate judge 21 and 7th section judge.
- That the Chief Judge’s interpretation of article 36.4 as including gate judge 21, 7th section judge, and the adjacent section judges was also a reasonable interpretation and therefore his decision remains a matter of fact.
- That while the Jury and Chief Judge interpreted article 36.4 differently both interpretations were fair and valid possibilities.
- That these unfortunate circumstances have arisen due to an anomaly in slalom rules and all the appointed ICF officials discharged their duty appropriately.
The ICF board of directors determined to review the slalom rules without delay, to resolve the identified ambiguity so that this situation does not reoccur.
Segolene Paquet, Thursday, 18 January 2007
Regarding the title of Slalom Racing World Champion in K1 Men awarded in July 2006 to Stefano Cipressi (ITA), the ICF Board of Directors have decided, in the interests of fairness and sportsmanship, that a further Gold Medal is awarded to Julien Billaut (FRA). They are both declared World Champion 2006.
With regard to the Appeal made 11th January 2007 by Julien Billaut through the Federation Française de Canoe Kayak and the British Canoe Union against the decision of the Slalom Racing World Championships 2006 Jury, the Board of Directors considered written and verbal reports of the Jury, the FFCK, and the BCU.
The ICF board of directors determined:
- That article 36.4 of the slalom rules contains some ambiguity which resulted in differing interpretations by the Jury and the Chief Officials.
- That the Jury’s decision to accept the Italian Federation’s appeal and overturn the Chief Judges decision was reasonable due to their interpretation of article 36.4 as “the Judges” referring solely to gate judge 21 and 7th section judge.
- That the Chief Judge’s interpretation of article 36.4 as including gate judge 21, 7th section judge, and the adjacent section judges was also a reasonable interpretation and therefore his decision remains a matter of fact.
- That while the Jury and Chief Judge interpreted article 36.4 differently both interpretations were fair and valid possibilities.
- That these unfortunate circumstances have arisen due to an anomaly in slalom rules and all the appointed ICF officials discharged their duty appropriately.
The ICF board of directors determined to review the slalom rules without delay, to resolve the identified ambiguity so that this situation does not reoccur.