Should Javelin be isolated?

[Gizmo]

With the accident that happened recently, see link http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/story/0,,22073577-5001023,00.html , should javelin be isolated from the other sports?

Or must the atheletes take this as part of the risk calculation be cause it doesnt happen to often?

[TotallyExhausted]

Well with so many things going on in the media, and how things are so exaggerated to the extreme really, I really think that this should be removed unfortunately.

Too many things, too many injuries with avoidable confilict really, the majority of all the conflict occuring today - not just with sports, but with everything, it's avoidable.

[Demon Cheetah]

Unfortunely, it seems isolation is the only way to insure safety. Many other things can go wrong in the sports world unfortunely, but it's best to cut down whatever risks you can.

[Cobalt]

As the news report stated, these accidents can be caused by something as simple as a slight stumble by an athlete - It's clearly not safe if you haven't even got that margin for error.

Though it's nice to get multiple events going on at the same time to keep spectators interested, it's certainly not worth risking the safety - and even the lives - of athletes.

By all means run other events simultaneously, but throwing events should be kept isolated.

[ScottHughes]

Unless there is another way to insure the safety of other athletes, such as a very large fence or something, then I think safety trumps convienence.

[JB_NewOrleans]

One of the interesting parts of watching athletic games is the mulit games within the games. I think that if you remove any of the throwing events, the organizers will start having certain problems with popularity.

I guess they might start having certain stops and then do two or three javelin throws? But I think that is not what the organizers would perfer.

[Gizmo]

I think it was a very tragic event for the guy who was hit, and it is most likely damning to his career as an athlete as well. On the other hand Track and Field is so popular because everything his happening in front of you. Several parallel events, pushing eachother forward and keeping the momentum rolling.

I am not sure what consequences the isolation of Javelin will have, but one must have a balance between entertainment value and safety for the athletes as well as spectators.

[gettingthere]

Javelin has always seemed like a dangerous sport to me. This accident was just waiting to happen. Some kind of barrier has to be put in place as a standard requirement, or alternatively isolation. The rarity of it happening isn't a reason not to, once is one time too many. Safety has to be paramount, not only for the athletes but for the spectators and officials too.

[Bislett]

I can remember once we almost had an incident at Bislett as well, but I can not remember when...

It is a a give and take situation where one needs to be careful not to hurt other athletes. I mean getting hit by a javlin or even a discos is pretty damaging..

[CaptainAmerica]

When you are out there you are so focused on what yo need to do that you forget about all that is going around you. I never thought of the idea of getting hit by the javlin or the hammer....but I guess it can happen

[hopefull]

the guy hit recovered fully and was jumping again in the next grand prix meeting, the hammer and discus are far more dangerous.

an official was killed by the shot at the US national championships a year or two ago.

[HongKong_Gaar]

I didnt know about that, an offical killed. That is unbelivable. I mean killed at one of these games. I guess nothing will be done with it as nothing has happened as far.

[Gizmo]

I also tend to believe that if nothing has been done so far I doubt that anything will happen in the near future.....

And it is part of what makes the T&F great, everything in one arena.

[Spikes]

Really and truly I think a discus to the head would be at least as deadly as any javelin accident. Shot, for some reason I think would be a little less so, but if someone were to accidentally enter the field at the wrong time it could be.

I do not see how they can be isolated. I think that the problem here comes because throws have become so much more powerful than when the stadiums were originally designed. I know that most official events take place in a stadium that has to meet certain dimensions, and so perhaps that is part of the problem.

Distances have increased over the last 100 years. But, has the size of the stadium increased? Has the spacing between the various events increased? This I don't have the answer to, but it would seem to me that taking care of this-making the field larger and so the events spaced more effectively could reduce the risks. It wouldn't require any isolation (by time), fences, cages and so on.

Yes, the onus would remain on the individual athelete to take his own safety seriously, with regards to not walking across the field at event time, but this way there would be no reduction in the enjoyment of track and field.

[Run4Fun]

Distances have increased over the last 100 years. But, has the size of the stadium increased? Has the spacing between the various events increased? This I don't have the answer to, but it would seem to me that taking care of this-making the field larger and so the events spaced more effectively could reduce the risks. It wouldn't require any isolation (by time), fences, cages and so on.

[/QUOTE]

It doesn't matter if the size of the stadium has increases, if its inside of the track, the size of the area available isn't going to change at all, think about it.

[grasshopper]

Then perhaps they need their own field instead of being contained inside of the track. I definitely think something needs to be done about the safety issues. Or maybe having less events happeneing at the same time to allow more space between events, such as only two at a time instead of more?

People don't seem to be slowing down on acheiving more and more so the danger is only going to get bigger not smaller. So even with knowing this is a rare occurance, it does occur and I wouldn't want to be the "rare occurance" because nothing was done about it.

[Spikes]

It doesn't matter if the size of the stadium has increases, if its inside of the track, the size of the area available isn't going to change at all, think about it.

If the stadium size were increased then it could potentially be moved to somewhere more suitable, with more space, outside of the track. But without larger stadiums, nothing could change.

Fencing would be hard to implement, because it would almost have to be a chain mail type thing to stop a javelin. And that fine a linking may stop people seeing through and so isolate the event just as thoroughly as any other method.

[stretch]

When my school re-did their field they created a track for running events and then they created a separate area for the field events. It is rather nice because you can see both areas from the stands so you do not need to chose which event you will watch.
I do think that javelin is risky but I also think that pole vaulting can be just as risky. Precautions need to be taken and the rules need to be strict as to avoid any mishaps in the future. Sometime things happen though even accidents. It is unfortunate.

[Chucker]

It's true, the sport can be dangerous. They could and should have more precautions in place. Especially when the javelin is the implement that travels the furthest etc. I just hope they don't totally get rid of the javelin throw.

[Bootle]

Of course its dangerous its a spear, but thats fun of it. Everyone should stop being so afraid of life. If all the other athletes were made aware every time the javelin was released like by a siren or something then they can only blame themselves if the got hit. Its supposed to be a sport for gladiators!!!