Israel Matzav

They call this an Olympics?

Haaretz complains about an hour-long delay at the start of the half marathon to accommodate a wedding at the Maccabiah village (which is also used as a hotel, business center and wedding venue).

According to the runner, who cited a friend close to the organizing committee, the couple getting married insisted the roads in the area remain open to allow guests easy access.

The venue's management said it hadn't heard of the unusual heat that supposedly warranted a delay. The real reason for the postponement, it said, was to allow "guests and athletes to leave the village at that time." The decision was made following a discussion with the municipality.

"It was a bit of a crisis," said Rami Levy, the head of the athletics department at the Ramat Gan municipality, which is involved in planning races that pass through the city. Levy also confirmed the runner's account.

"The police got involved at one point. Listen, postponing a wedding is a big deal," he added.
The police said in response that they were "aware of the wedding and are preparing accordingly."

This is yet another testament to the unprofessional manner in which the Maccabiah has been organized. Some of the 9,000 athletes who arrived in Israel for the "Jewish Olympics" were left without accommodations, while others were struggling to find transportation to the sporting events.

"Many people are disappointed by this whole thing," said Kobi Tzvila, another participant in the half marathon. "Some people will start running at 9:20 P.M. and finish the race at midnight. 

"These are regular people who have to be at work tomorrow," he added. "Who can even conceive of holding a race at that hour?"  

If correct, the complaint about lack of accommodations is legitimate. And certainly you shouldn't change the starting time of events unnecessarily. But starting a half marathon at 9:20 and finishing at midnight? If you're that slow, you don't belong in the Jewish or any other Olympics.

I was far from being a professional runner (my Marathon best was 3:24:22 while the top male runners are in the 2:10 - 2:15 range), and my half marathon best was 1:31. If you can't finish a half marathon in less than 2:40, you don't belong in any Olympics.

Labels: Maccabiah, Marathon, wedding party

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:16 PM