Slowman wrote:
"I am not so sure, I think it would fall under inside assistance." it isn't, nor has it ever, been outside assistance. it has always been unauthorized assistance.
3.4.d. Unauthorized Assistance. No participant shall accept from any person (other than a race official) physical assistance in any form, including food, drink, equipment, support, pacing, a replacement bicycle or bicycle parts, unless an express exception has been granted and approved, in writing, by USA Triathlon. The receipt of information regarding the progress, split times, or location of other competitors on the race course shall not be considered the acceptance of unauthorized assistance. Any violation of this Section shall result in a variable time penalty.
that's pretty clear, it seems to me. if anybody wants to know whether a rule has been broken and what the rule is, there it is.
i don't mind if ironman and/or USAT decides this is legal. it just needs to be addressed by both USAT and ironman: they need to say it's legal or it's not and if it's not they need to stick to that. this isn't new. i have observed a number of occasions over the years, in the pro field, where in my opinion assistance like this in the swim or the bike has been given. this occasion here is probably the most obvious i've ever seen but certainly not the first.
Slowman, what you quoted here are USAT rules, not IM rules, which are actually as follows:
Section 2.02 OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE
(a) Assistance provided by Race Referees or Race Officials is allowed but such assistance is limited to: providing drinks, nutrition, mechanical and medical assistance, and other necessary assistance (as may be provided by the Event Director or Head Referee). Athletes competing in the same Race may assist each other with incidental items such as, but not restricted to: nutrition, and drinks after an aid station and pumps, tires, inner tubes, and puncture repair kits; and
(b) Athletes may not provide any item of equipment to an athlete competing in the same Race if it results in the donor athlete being unable to continue his/her own Race. Such equipment includes but is not restricted to: shoes, complete bicycle, frame, wheels, or helmet. The penalty for this will be disqualification of both athletes.
Section 2.01 states that athletes must
(a) practice good sportsmanship at all times
(h) compete without receiving assistance from other parties (other than from Race Referees, Race Officials, and other athletes in accordance with Section 2.02
(j) not gain or attempt to gain any unfair advantage from any external vehicle or object.
So my take on Lionel's drafting off Chabrot is this:
He attempted to gain an unfair advantage, but since Chabrot was not an external vehicle or object, I think the only rule he may have violated is 2.01 (a), for which neither Section 2.01 nor Article III. PENALTIES specifies the penalty. The Appendix, however, specifies for unsportsmanlike behaviour a DSQ and potential suspension.
Had he gained an unfair advantage from an external vehicle (and violated 2.01 (j)), then the rule doesn't even specify the penalty for that (unlike 2.01 (i), (k) or (l)), such that in accordance with 3.01(f) the penalty would have been up to the referee's discrection.
In any case I greatly appreciate Lionel's statement here on ST expressing regret for his decision, and I think this was very sportsmanlike such that for me the case is closed.
However, Lionel as well as every other athlete competing, was in violation of rule 2.01 (c), according to which each athlete must
know, understand, and follow all Competition Rules, as stated herein, in the Event-specific Athlete Information Guide, and at the Event-specific athlete briefings.
It would be good for the sport of triathlon to come up with a set of proper, consistent and well thought through rules. Current rule books (whether IM, ITU, USAT or other national federations) are full of self-contradictions, unclear wordings, unnecessary or just plain non-sensical rules. These rules could be split into two parts, a slim body of general rules which apply to the sport of triathlon, and then some additional rules specific to each event.
Achim Traut