That Sloppy Unfair Schedule in Oregon

The Jamaicans Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson ran for four consecutive days at the 2022 Oregon World Championship. Yes! They got no break between the 100m final and the start of the 200m. The ladies have gotten only one day break between the 200m semifinals and the 200m final. Can you believe running Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before getting a break on Wednesday? What a sloppy schedule!

On the other hand, the men got one day break between the 100m final and the start of the 200m, then another break between the 200m semifinals, and the 200m final. Why this unequal treatment? Are our women beast of burden? Are they machines that cannot tire? And when one thinks that the top three 200m Americans in Noah Lyles, Erriyon Knighton and Kenny Bednarek, never took part in the 100m, the unfairness is further magnified.

Personally, I do believe that the schedule was set up to facilitate the Americans Abby Steiner, Tamara Clark and Jenna Prandini, so that they would have much fresher legs than the Jamaicans and others of similar threat. Clearly, this is wrong on some many levels.

Advantage USA

With more rest times and less workload, it does give the US men and women a definite advantage at least perceptually. It would appear that the organizers’ blunder may have been deliberate. It does give the impression that the organizers want the US men to sweep in the 200m but they don't want the Jamaican women to sweep in the 200m. Indeed, it was long anticipated that the Jamaican ladies would sweep in the 100m. Therefore, one could infer that the sloppy schedule was ostensibly created to make the goings rougher for the Jamaican ladies.

It is really not a good look for the organizers. One would have thought that they would have acted with even hands and with the highest level of integrity. It is my view that wittingly or unwittingly, they did not.

Going forward, I do hope that the scheduling of events will be done to ensure fairness and justice to all and with the ultimate good of all participating athletes.

Henley Taylor

Freelance Sports Writer

Henleytaylor1965@gmail.com

Edited by: Raymond Byfield

Jamaica Relay Team photo courtesy of Joe Swift Photography