An interesting segment that was broadcast during the Olympic Marathon Trials was the type of shoes some of the elite runners were wearing. Nike came out with a new shoe that has more spring and cushion in the sole. There were some that claimed that the shoe was illegal and should not be allowed. The end result was the shoe was worn by some runners and no consequences followed.
The fact that the improvements to a shoe because of new technology was even considered to be illegal made me recall some of the changes that have taken place in sports. Years ago Tommy Smith ran a world’s record 200 meters. The officials disqualified him, and the record, because he had “brush” spikes instead of the seven regulation spikes the other runners had. One other technological improvement that was disqualified was the shark skin suit that swimmers were wearing. The suit gave the swimmer a little more buoyancy and less drag while they swam. A few modifications were allowed and various forms of the shark skin suit are used today.
The examples mentioned above were not allowed because it gave the athlete an unfair advantage in competition. Looking over other technological improvements in sport that were allowed makes you wonder why some are allowed and others are not. When reporters try to compare athletes from the past with athletes of today to see who was the best is like comparing apples to oranges. The conditions of competition, the equipment used, the training methods, and the size and strength of the athletes have too many variables to really compare. This is true in almost every form of athletic competition.
