Steven's expression looked very uneasy, and he said anxiously: "I just received a call from Mr. Williams, CEO of USATF. According to him, the IAAF may not allow Philip to participate in the World Championships."
"The IAAF has issued an open letter rejecting Philip's participation in the World Championships?" Dai Li asked immediately.
Steven shook his head: "The news was obtained by USATF from within the IAAF. It won't be long before it becomes a fact."
"Why? Is it because Philip is disabled?" Dai Li asked.
"No! There is no clause in the rules of the World Athletics Championships prohibiting disabled athletes from participating." Steven shook his head.
"Then what reason did the IAAF give to ban Philip from participating?" Li Dai asked.
"It's probably a prosthetic limb," Steven said.
Dai Li frowned and said, "As far as I know, athletes are allowed to wear sports equipment to compete, such as 'shark skin' uniforms in swimming competitions, or high-tech running shoes."
"Yes, but the IAAF believes that Philip's value has exceeded the definition of 'sports equipment'. They believe that Philip's Leopard Blade prosthesis will allow Philip to obtain unfair benefits, thereby affecting the fairness of the competition." Steven lowered his voice and asked: "Coach Li, tell me honestly, is Philip's prosthetic limb really elastic and can provide him with extra help?"
"Every material has elasticity, but the elasticity can vary greatly." Dai Li chose a rather roundabout answer.
Steven seemed to understand what Dai Li meant, and he said: "The decision of whether to allow Philip to participate is still in the hands of the IAAF. They have the final right of interpretation, and this is precisely the most detrimental to us. place. If they just deny Philip’s right to participate, then there is nothing I can do.”
"But the IAAF should find a suitable reason." Li Dai continued: "If I remember correctly, the IAAF cannot find any reference in the existing sports laws regarding the auxiliary ability of high-tech equipment to athletes. Clearly defined.”
"That is to say, according to the rules, we are in an advantage." Steven cheered up and continued: "Otherwise, like we did with USATF last time, we go find reporters or organize protesters
Dai Li shook his head: "The IAAF is an international track and field management organization. Their managers and decision-makers come from all over the world, and many of them are actually just to protect the rights of their own athletes, so they choose Stay in the International Association of Athletics Federations. The work of this kind of person can be described in one sentence, not seeking merit but seeking no faults. Therefore, they will be very conservative when making decisions. They are afraid of taking responsibility, so even if there is a slight problem, possibility, they will not take risks in making decisions.”
"I understand that Philip is disabled, and allowing him to participate will mean a 'change' in the game, and this is exactly what those useless bureaucrats least want to see." Steven asked.
The so-called change is nothing more than bringing about three results: the results of things get better, the results of things get worse, and the results of things have no impact.
For decision-makers, it is natural to applaud when the results get better; when the results have no impact in the end, it means that the decision made is in vain; when the results get worse, it must be a failed decision.
From the perspective of decision-makers, there is only a one-third chance that change will be good. Whether it is a useless effort or a failed decision, you must bear responsibility, so many people would rather "govern by doing nothing" than Be willing to make drastic reforms.
For an international organization like the IAAF, it is very difficult to reform. If the reform is not done well, not only will you bear the responsibility, but you will also be scolded by the whole world. Therefore, in the case of Philip, the IAAF has done Having made the most conservative decision, they are unwilling to change themselves.
Just listen to Li Dai continue to say: "Philip has no problem with the competition rules. Once the IAAF really makes a decision, we can appeal to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport. We will most likely use it, but that will delay A long time, maybe one or two years, maybe three to five years. Although this can get some attention, it is far less cost-effective than letting Philip participate in the World Track and Field Championships."
"Yes, litigating is the most time-consuming thing. Even if we win, we will probably lose more than we gain." Steven nodded.
"Going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport is a last resort. In fact, the issue facing the IAAF now is whether to ensure the right of individual athletes to participate or to ensure a fair competition environment. The IAAF must do this There is a choice between the two. The legal perspective supports the former, so what we need to do is to dispel the IAAF’s concerns about the latter," Li Dai said.
"I understand what you mean, but I still don't understand what we should do." Steven said.
"To put it simply, the IAAF believes that Philip's prosthetic leg affects the fairness of the competition, so we only need to prove that Philip's prosthetic leg does not affect the fairness of the competition. Even if Philip participates in the World Athletics Championships, the competition is still fair." Dai Li opened his mouth to explain.
"But how can we prove that Philip's prosthesis will not affect the fair competition of the game?" Steven asked.
"The reason for everything is the Panther blade prosthetic leg. We can directly deny that the prosthetic leg cannot bring extra advantages to Philip, but in fact this is a very stupid method because it cannot withstand scientific scrutiny. So we We need to focus on another aspect. We have to prove that prosthetics cannot gain more advantages than normal legs during running." Dai Li's expression became calmer and calmer, and he had already thought of countermeasures.
The next second, Dai Li changed his voice and asked, "There should be many universities in California, right?"
"What do you mean..." Steven had already guessed Dai Li's intention.
"Yes." Dai Li smiled and nodded: "You go find some well-known experts, give them some research funds, and then let them prove that prosthetics cannot gain more advantages than normal legs during running. , for example, prostheses limit the explosion of strength, prostheses limit the bending of joints, etc. It is not difficult for them to prove this. I think as long as the research funds are in place, it should be easy for us to get a copy in the hands of authoritative experts. The report we want.”
"Okay, I'll go to several well-known universities right away to look for them." Steven nodded and agreed.
"This matter must be done quickly, the sooner the better. We must be the first to get the report that is favorable to us and then spread it through the media. This time we must take a preemptive strike!" Li Dai said with a smile.