Protestors Are Storming The Track — And It’s a Major Safety Issue

Summary

The website content discusses the increasing trend of protestors storming the track during athletic events, highlighting safety concerns for athletes and the potential for more serious incidents.

Abstract

The article addresses the growing issue of protestors entering the track during athletic competitions, such as the World Championships and Diamond League meets. While acknowledging the importance of protest and the effectiveness of such actions in raising awareness for causes like the Tigrayan conflict and climate change, the author emphasizes the risks these interruptions pose to athletes. Incidents involving protestors have raised concerns about the ease with which individuals can access the track, potentially endangering athletes who are performing at high speeds. The article calls attention to the need for improved security measures to ensure athlete safety without compromising the intimacy and unique experience of live track and field events.

Opinions

The author recognizes the significance of protest as a mechanism for social change and acknowledges the success of recent track-side protests in raising awareness.
There is a strong opinion that the method of protest by storming the track is inappropriate and disrespectful to the athletes.
The author expresses that the potential for serious injury to athletes is a major safety issue, as demonstrated by the close call at the Stockholm Diamond League meet.
The article suggests that current security measures at track and field events are insufficient, pointing out that it is unclear how protestors are able to access the track so easily.
There is a call for the sport's governing bodies to prioritize athlete safety and implement stricter security protocols to prevent unauthorized access to the track during events.
The author values the close connection between fans and athletes in track and field

Nothing bad happened so far, but these situations could have been a lot worse

Protest is a great and necessary function of society. It raises awareness and sparks change for important social issues and equality. Needless to say, a lot of rights all of us, and especially marginalized groups have today wouldn’t have been possible without protest.

However, as a runner and a fan of track and field, there is a growing trend of protestors storming the track while athletes are performing or just after athletes are performing, and it’s not a good thing. If fans stormed the court in the NBA or the field in the NFL, the outcry would be tremendous.

Actually, in an October 2022 NFL Monday Night Football game, a protestor for animal rights group, Direct Action Everywhere, stormed the field of a Rams-49ers NFL game, carrying a can emanating pink smoke. He would be tackled to the ground by linebacker Bobby Wagner.

The first time someone stormed the track was at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Following the victory of Gudaf Tsegay in the 5,000 meters, protestor Mearg Mekonen stormed the track to hug and congratulate Tsegay and fifth-place finisher, Letesenbet Gidey. Mekonen, Tsegay, and Gidey are all Tigrayan, the ethnic group from the region of Ethiopia subject to war and genocide. He waved the red-and-yellow flag of Tigray and said he went on the track to raise global awareness for what is going on in the Tigray region.

“I couldn’t control it…“I tried to be a voice for the voiceless…I want people to know that there is genocide happening right now when we’re speaking and people don’t have access. We cannot see our family,” Mekonen said.

In a 2023 Diamond League track meet in Stockholm, Sweden, protestors from an organization called A22 Network, a Swedish organization that protests climate change, protestors stormed the track at the very end of the 400-meter hurdles, forcing many athletes about to finish the race to run through their banner or avoid protestors on the track. Fortunately, all athletes physically impeded by the protestors were able to avoid colliding into anyone.

Karsten Warholm, a Norwegian native and the world record holder and Olympic champion at the 400-meter hurdles was not physically impeded by the protests.

But he did condemn the protests while supporting the idea of protesting:

“It is permissible to protest, but this is not the way to do it…It is disrespectful to those who are here to do a good job. I must honestly admit that I’m pissed off.”

There is obviously substantial validity to the cause of the Tigrayan or climate change protestors. There was a lot of discussion about the genocide in Tigray in the running community following the actions of Mekonen (and how people can help), which means the protest was undoubtedly effective, even if it only raised awareness in a small niche of the population.

However, it sends a very bad message to people who aren’t trying to protest and have very bad intentions. Warholm is right that there is a time and place for protest — and on the track, while athletes are performing is not that place.

Of course, nothing bad happened, but it could have been a lot worse, especially for the 400-meter hurdles athletes, who were running at full speed and could have suffered an injury after colliding with a protestor. A collision with an athlete going full speed in a 400-meter sprint could cause an injury to the

It shows how easy it is for someone who may have a personal vendetta against an athlete to just get on the track and do something harmful, or for someone who may be planning an attack to do the same. It’s unclear how protestors actually get on the track — whether they can just hop a barricade or railing at the most high-profile events. And what message does that send to more mid-tier and less high-profile events if storming the track as a fan or spectator is that easy where security is supposed to be the best?

The protests highlight lax security at the most professional and elite track meets. I’ve been to a lot of track meets before, and a couple of professional ones as a fan. I will say that being really close to the athletes is a huge source of the appeal, and being able to take super close-up pictures, see them zoom by at lightning-fast speeds, and being able to possibly high-five athletes and take selfies with them is also incredibly cool.

Track and field is not a sport with the most global appeal. With the World Athletics Championships coming up in Budapest next month, I frequently think about how hard it is to even find Diamond League races or the World Championships themselves on Peacock, with virtually every other major sport from basketball to football to golf blocking my way to see what I want to see.

That’s what makes the intimacy of being a live fan so special and different from other sports. But it’s being increasingly clear that race organizers are failing at the basic job of keeping athletes safe, as well, when anyone can just storm the track at will while athletes are performing at the most high-profile meets.

Again, someone storming the court in an NBA game or the field in an NFL game would cause widespread condemnation and much greater preventative measures to prevent it from happening again. The sport’s highest authorities have an obligation to protect athlete safety.