Guerrilla to save the gångsporten

Tie both fists, cross your arms, then open your left hand. So see an instruction on the site for the ”Save the race walking”, save the gångsporten, out. The campaign protestgest, which is done in competitions, is a symbol for what is called ”gånggerillan”.

the Reason the group formed is the proposal put forward by the international association of athletics federations the IAAF's gångkommitté, who want to take away the longest distance of five miles, for attracting ”new and younger audience”.

”If this happened, would our sport be ruined, murdered”, it says on the campaign site.

walker, who is in the picture görandes armgesten during a race is the Swedish Perseus Karlström.

– In principle, all of the walkers in the whole world is against the changes. It is perhaps 10% of the active assets and the coaches who think it is a good change. The rest are against, " he says on the phone from Mexico, where he recently won his first world cup competition.

To remove the asset's femmil is like taking away the marathon – very strange, think Perseus Karlström. Photo: Vegard Wivestad Grøtt/Bildbyrån

What will happen is still not entirely clear, but in march the IAAF's board of directors ”in principle” gångkommitténs proposal. Chairman Sebastian Coe announced that after 2022 will select two disciplines of the options 10, 20, 30, or 35 kilometres to the championship. That is to say, not femmilen.

– the International association of athletics federations will remain in the 70's and 80's when the athletics were more popular. They have not changed its marketing in any way, but is left in to athletics should be this familjesporten that everyone should go and watch. It does not really work so, in today's idrottsvärld, " says Perseus Karlström.

– All other sports has developed what it offers as a spectator. It is not only the contest, but you know all about the great profiles, you can wager money and there are other activities, such as beer tents, and so on, that attracts the audience. Athletics have not embraced it and it doesn't look like they will make it either.

the aisles have is that the shorter the distances are similar, while the difference is large on the type of athletes who can win femmilen.

Time is one of the oldest sports there is, and started back in the 1800s. Femmilen has been with the OLYMPICS since 1932 but is still not entered for the ladies, something that the campaign is also campaigning for the change shall.

– It is a very unique distance. It is a bit like that would take away the marathon. It is the longest one can run at a championship. It would be very strange if one would remove it just because you feel that you can't engage the audience for a few hours, " says Perseus Karlström.

the world Record on the femmilen is 3 hours and 33 minutes for men, 3 hours and 59 minutes for the ladies.

– It is how many time sitting and watching the Tour de France. You just have to know very much and can talk around the races, the race itself is perhaps not so interesting for the first five hours if there is a sextimmarslopp.

A change that is proposed is to put technology in the skosulorna to determine whether the feet are in the ground. Photo: Slavek Box

the proposed gångsporten is technology in skosulorna to determine whether the feet are in the ground. But so long as it is not in functioning form.

the Rules say that the feet may not be in the air at the same time, so long that it can be perceived by the naked eye. It is judged in the day of judges.

" What they want to do is to put a limit of 40 milliseconds, or something similar, so that it will be evenly distributed to all contestants. They are not going to introduce that you should always have one foot in the ground, for it would kill the sport entirely. It never has been, " says Perseus Karlström.

He would welcome a technology that would make the conditions equal for all, but is skeptical that it will work.

" It feels very, very incredible. It may sound easy, but in all competitions we have tidschips, and it is always for someone it does not work. If the soles stops working for any contestant, what do you do then? And then there is the question also if you can guarantee that no one will manipulate the technology. I do not want to say any nation, but I might be able to say that there are some nations which has such an interest.