Federation relented

Isabel Posch competes at the European Athletics Championships in Rome

Isabel Posch competes at the European Championships in Rome.

(Bild: Bjorn Paree)

Justice has prevailed! Almost at the last minute, student world champion Isabel Posch was given a starting place in the heptathlon for the European Championships after all. Fortunately, European Athletics has now relented in the dispute over her qualification and admitted her to the all-around competition as the 23rd of 24 starters.

Background: France had initially entered three participants in the heptathlon, which meant that Isabel Posch, 25th in the qualification ranking, missed out on one of the only 24 starting places by one place. But the cheeky thing was that France only sent one heptathlete after the closing date. As a result, there were initially only 22 athletes competing in the all-around in Rome. Two places remained free until Monday. However, due to the French mistake, for which Isabel Posch was really blameless, the EA (finally) decided in favor of the active athlete.

Isabel Posch was part of the ÖLV squad for Rome anyway. In addition to the heptathlon, the Vorarlberg native will also compete in the women's 4 x 100 m relay.

ÖLV criticism successful
ÖLV Secretary General Helmut Baudis immediately appealed to European Athletics after only 22 women appeared on the official entry list for the heptathlon and asked for Isabel Posch to be moved up. However, European Athletics originally insisted on the rule that no changes were possible after May 29 (2 p.m.) and that there was no chance of moving up.

After massive protests in numerous similar cases, the EA has now relented and allowed a total of twelve athletes to start in Rome after all. Anything else would have been an outrageous injustice!

Scandal at home
Another example shows just how inferior the French federation currently is. A scandal in which two of its own runners missed out on a starting place for the European Championships due to the incompetence of the officials. The FFA (Fédération Française d'Athlétisme) simply forgot to register the world-class middle-distance runner Azzedine Habz and Simon Bedard (10,000 m). This is why these runners are missing from the entry list. Now they have asked European Athletics to make an exception and allow Habz and Bedard to start after all. No chance. The EA refused.

Athletes are the ones who suffer
The ones who suffer - as in the case of Isabel Posch - are of course always the athletes. No wonder the FFA is torn to shreds in the French media. Azzedine Habz was one of the medal hopes. With a world-class 1500m time of 3:29.26, achieved in Oslo last year, he qualified directly for the European Championships. Now the "Road to Rome" states succinctly: "Not entered".

Actually a reason for dismissal for the employee concerned. Fortunately for the Austrian athletes, the ÖLV sports coordinator Hannes Gruber is a meticulously working official who cannot make such a mistake...

Austria's team at the European Athletics Championships in Rome:

Men (11): 100 m: Markus Fuchs; 1500 m: Raphael Pallitsch; 110 m hurdles: Enzo Diessl; 400 m hurdles: Leo Köhldorfer; 3000 m steeplechase: Tobias Rattinger; discus throw: Lukas Weißhaidinger; half marathon: Mario Bauernfeind, Andreas Vojta, Peter Herzog, Timo Hinterndorfer, Dominik Stadlmann.

Women (11): 100 m: Magdalena Lindner; 400 m: Susanne Gogl-Walli; 100 m hurdles: Karin Strametz; 400 m hurdles: Lena Pressler; 3000 m steeplechase: Lena Millonig; javelin throw: Victoria Hudson; half marathon: Julia Mayer; heptathlon: Verena Mayr, Isabel Posch; 4 x 100 m: Austria (Lindner, Strametz, Isabel Posch, Viktoria Willhuber, Katharina Stadler).