Training What does the IAAF label mean to the Canadian runner?

What does the IAAF label mean to the Canadian runner?

By
AttheRaces
-
SHARE

Back in 2007 the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) implemented a labelling system for road races held around the globe. In order to achieve a gold, silver or bronze label, events, including marathons, must meet certain requirements to achieve premier status.

While only two Canadian marathons have ever achieved a silver ranking—the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon and the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon— organizers for both are hoping to claim a gold ranking soon. What does this gold label really mean? iRun spoke with John Halvorsen, race director of the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon, for 
his take on achieving
the gold label and why
it’s not only important
 to the events but also to the sport of running in Canada.

iRun: What does the gold ranking signify?
John Halvorsen: It’s the ranking of the event for athletes—including elite runners—and spectators which confirms that within the IAAF, the races are meeting the criteria of a sanctioned event. The recognition that your event has met the requirements is an official part of the sport, which is important to many people.

iRun: How are the standards applied to each ranking?
JH: As you go up from bronze to silver to gold, the standards to qualify become more difficult to meet, such as the quality of competing runners, a diversity of runners from different countries. There are some differences of opinion in that the labeling system should not be universally applied across the board because some criteria are more difficult to meet in certain parts of the world, specifically related to television coverage.

iRun: What has been the benefit for the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon?
JH: Attracting athletes of a certain (elite) caliber. We’ve developed and achieved a level of competition from
a results perspective. Having runners see the caliber of athletes and what they’ve achieved says that it’s a well- organized, well-supported event and they want to come run it. Being on the IAAF website continues to keep us on the radar of agents and runners.

iRun: How does the labelling system affect elite runners versus everyday athletes?
JH: From an elite runner’s perspective,
it’s the degree of acknowledgment that they’re competing in an event that’s at a very high standard internationally. For non-elite athletes,
I’d say the effect is very little because most people aren’t aware of the standards. Achieving the gold label is a way of educating people. I think gold would cause people to ask, “what does it mean?” and more people would be talking about the sport.

iRun: Where do you hope to see the IAAF labelling system moving?
JH: Leverage the program to promote the sport in each market, which means you apply the requirements in each area a little differently: Asia versus North America versus Europe, because the markets are different from each other. The sport of running
is not as prominent in certain areas, and that causes one to think “How can we make the sport more prominent?” and “How can we leverage what we have to the labelling standards that exist?” I think they’ve moved in this direction, and I hope they continue to because I believe that is what’s best for the sport.

iRun: Why would
 the gold label be important for the sport in Canada?
JH: I believe the purpose is to enhance the sport in the community. Labelling events that are the best in the country is the
best way to declare that they’re world-class events in the sport of running.

For more information on the IAAF labelling requirements check out iaaf.org.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

375 COMMENTS

  4. Hello would you mind sharing which blog lotopyeer platform you’re using? I’m looking to start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a difficult time selecting between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something unique. P.S Apologies for getting off-topic but I had to ask!

  5. You have made some really good points there. I looked on the net to learn more about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this site.|

  6. This is the perfect blog for everyone who hopes to understand this topic. You know a whole lot its almost tough to argue with you (not that I actually will need to…HaHa). You certainly put a brand new spin on a topic which has been written about for many years. Excellent stuff, just great!

  7. Hello there! This blog post couldn’t be written any better! Looking through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He always kept preaching about this. I am going to forward this post to him. Pretty sure he’ll have a good read. I appreciate you for sharing!

  9. Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written article. I will make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I’ll certainly comeback.|

  12. Next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesn’t fail me as much as this one. After all, I know it was my choice to read through, but I truly thought you would probably have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you could fix if you weren’t too busy looking for attention.

  13. I not to mention lotopyeer my pals ended up reading through the best hints on your web blog and all of the sudden I had a horrible suspicion I had not expressed respect to you for them. These young boys appeared to be as a result passionate to read through all of them and have in effect in fact been taking pleasure in these things. I appreciate you for turning out to be well thoughtful as well as for considering variety of beneficial subject matter millions of individuals are really desperate to learn about. My very own sincere apologies for not saying thanks to earlier.

  14. I’d should check with you here. Which is not one thing I normally do! I take pleasure in reading a publish that can make individuals think. Also, thanks for permitting me to remark!

  15. I do not even know how I stopped up right here, however I believed this publish used to be good. I do not understand who you are however certainly you’re going to a well-known blogger when you are not already. Cheers!|

  16. Appreciation to my father who informed me regarding this web site, this website is really amazing.|

  17. This is the perfect webpage for anybody who would like to find out about this topic. You know a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually will need to…HaHa). You certainly put a new spin on a subject which has been written about for many years. Wonderful stuff, just great!|

  20. Spot on with this write-up, I truly assume this web site needs far more consideration. I’ll most likely be once more to learn rather more, thanks for that info.

  21. Thank you, I’ve just been searching for information about this topic for a long time and yours is the best I’ve came upon till now. However, what concerning the conclusion? Are you sure concerning the supply?|

« Older Comments

Comments are closed.